


Super Mario Bros.: The Legend Begins

by SolareSuper



Category: Super Mario & Related Fandoms, Super Mario Bros. (Video Games)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Brotherhood, Fighting, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Internal Conflict, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Minor Injuries, Minor Mario/Peach-hime | Peach Toadstool, Minor Princess Daisy/Luigi, Origin Story, Retelling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:26:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 29,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26517430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolareSuper/pseuds/SolareSuper
Summary: “Who are you? Do you know what you want in life?”Spurred on by a magic whistle, Mario and his brother Luigi find a hidden Warp Zone to the forgotten Mushroom Kingdom. Soon, the brothers will be thrust into the middle of a decades-old clash that will change their fate and define their legacies as heroes.Canon-compliant retelling of Super Mario Bros. Updates (nearly) every week!
Relationships: Kinopiko | Toadette & Kinopio | Toad, Koopa | Bowser & Peach-hime | Peach Toadstool, Luigi & Mario (Nintendo), Mario/Peach-hime | Peach Toadstool, Princess Daisy/Luigi
Comments: 41
Kudos: 54





	1. The Legend So Far. . .

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful place known as the Mushroom Kingdom. The Toads, the jolly people of the Mushroom Kingdom, lived here in peace and happiness under the rule of their kind ruler, Gustav Toadstool. 

But soon, the Mushroom Kingdom entered a great and terrible war waged by the Koopa Troop of the Dark Lands, led by their ferocious leader, Lord Morton. Morton coveted the Mushroom Kingdom, its abundance of powerful mushrooms and magical relics….

But most of all, Morton wanted complete control of the kingdom’s Warp Zones, for whoever controlled access to these pipelines could travel all around the world and rule it if they so choose. 

Gustav and the Toads of the Mushroom Kingdom met Morton and his Koopa Troop. It was a fierce battle, and many fled from the fight, for fear of their own lives and the lives of their loved ones. 

But as swiftly as the fight began, so too did it end. King Gustav defeated Lord Morton, slaying the monstrous ruler once and for all. The Koopas fled the Mushroom Kingdom, and though the Toads cheered for their returned peace, Gustav feared for the eventual return of the Koopa Troop.

Thus, the king decreed that all of the Warp Zones be closed off, and that his seven Royal Retainers place a magic spell over the Dark Lands and the Mushroom Kingdom, hiding the two realms from the world forever.

Years passed… the stories of the Mushroom Kingdom and the Koopa Troop faded into nothing more than fairy tales and legends….

….but they never truly ended….

…. and now, the story of the Mushroom Kingdom begins again half a world over, with two brothers.


	2. A Dark and Stormy Night

Night kidnapped the sun’s glow bouncing off the glass towers of the city. Clouds moved in, and with the clash of thunder and lightning in the sky above, the rain escaped their wrath by plummeting to the earth below. 

The city never cared. With its natural light stolen, the city would replace it with neon and electricity. Rain was an inconvenience for those who took to the streets, but even then there was no stopping a crowd armed with umbrellas, raincoats, and parasols. 

Stanley’s Lounge was a perfect location for nights like this. Its wide-open glass windows caught the rain in such a way that the droplets captured the glare of the city and created a kaleidoscopic display. If only Stanley’s had customers….

Pauline sighed, pulling her attention away from the windows and back to things inside the lounge. A waitress wiped down tables, if only for the sake of occupying her time. The stage at the far side of the lounge would normally see the New Donk City Players tune their instruments in preparation for the night’s show, but tonight their pianist tapped lightly on the keys, filling the room with jazzy overture. 

The barkeeper, Stanley, slid a whiskey glass down the bar to Pauline. “One Chuckola Cola, on the rocks,” he called out. She caught the glass absentmindedly and brought it to her lips. 

“Looks like you won’t be taking stage tonight,” he mused as he began polishing the oak near her. 

“Just as well,” Pauline spoke up, smoothing out her red dress as she sat up in her seat. She looked down to the small planner, an extensive log of writings and scribbles. “Even if we started playing now, the crowd we’d draw in this weather wouldn’t pay the boys for their music.” 

Stanley moved closer, glancing at her planner. Catching him in the act, she huffed and closed it. “Peeping Tom,” she chided. 

“So, you’re really gonna go with it? You’re gonna try running for mayor?” 

Pauline leaned on her hand and sighed. “What do I have to lose? With daddy’s term expiring, I feel confident to fill his shoes.” 

The bartender nodded, studying her face. “What does Mario think?” 

The corner of Pauline’s lip curled up. Mario had been so caught up in odd-jobs and trying his hands at new things, he barely had a moment to say hello to his girlfriend. She took another small swig of soda, sitting the glass down with a bit more force than she would have liked. “I haven’t talked to him about it yet,” she replied, her tone terse. 

The doorbell to Stanley’s rang, and everyone instinctually perked up and looked over. Mario stamped his damp feet on the carpeted mat at the entrance, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. “Someone must’ve ordered this rain,” he called out, a thick Italian brogue masking his voice. “I thought I ordered the ravioli instead!” Stanley and the waitress chuckled almost out of courtesy, as Pauline returned her attention to her planner. 

“Speak of the devil,” Stanley clambered around the bar, approaching the smaller man. “We were just talking about you!” 

Mario covered his ears and shivered. “Hoo, I was wondering why my ears were burning.” He joined in with that bartender’s laughter.

Mario was unlike other New Donkers. He was short, unlike many others in the city who were easily twice his height. He wasn’t fat, but by the same token, he wasn’t skinny; Mario wouldn’t turn down food, especially if it was pasta. And he was surprisingly athletic, able to leap over the tallest New Donker in a single, simple bound. His large, blue eyes and thick mustache complimented his round, bulbous nose, and despite the many jobs he took on, he always looked as clean and as dapper as possible in his blue jean overalls, red shirt, and red cap. 

He climbed up onto the barstool beside Pauline and leaned over, planting a small kiss on the cheek. She twitched. 

“How are you, Lady?” Mario asked, lovingly tossing in his nickname to her. “Where’re the boys?” He glanced back to the stage, the pianist giving him a small wave in between keystrokes. 

“They’re not coming. The show’s cancelled tonight.”

“What?” Mario sighed and leaned on his arms. “Mama mia, that’s a shame.” He sat back up. “Why don’t you come by the apartment, then? Luigi’s fixin’ up Mama’s homemade puttanesca, and it’s—”

“Sorry,” she interrupted, sliding smoothly out of her seat. She grabbed her planner and turned to the door. As she reached for her parasol from the umbrella stand by the door, her eyes remained distant from his. “I should really get home.”

“Oh,” Mario slowly nodded. “Of course! Let me walk you out.” He leapt from his seat and joined her by her side. He turned, waving to the workers of Stanley’s Lounge, then held the door open for her. 

The rain continued to beat down the city streets, a steam rising from the warmth shared between the pavement and the vehicles passing over it. Pauline stayed dry, sheltered by her dainty, rosy parasol; Mario, on the other hand, was pelted by the rain, his hat quickly becoming soaked. His mood didn't seem to dampen, as he approached his small scooter. Its yellow paint scheme had faded and worn, but as evidenced by the saddlebag full of tools, hammers and other craftsman’s knicknacks, Mario had put it to good use. Pauline had rode with him on it before; though it looked small, its seat was large enough to support them both. 

“How about I give you a ride home?” 

“About that,” Pauline spoke up. She bit her lip, then finally exhaled sharply. “Mario, we need to talk. I’m running for mayor.” 

Mario tilted his head, but then finally smiled. “That’s amazing, Lady! I was wondering if you were going to take over for your pop.”

“I’m not doing this for him,” she quipped. “I’m doing this for me.” She glanced back to Stanley’s Lounge, and through the wide window she could see the waitress trying to find work to do. The bartender carefully polished the same glass cup he had already polished ten minutes ago. “I don’t want to be a lounge singer all my life,” she sighed. 

“Of course not,” Mario added. “I want what’s best for you.”

“But, Mario, what do YOU want? For yourself??” 

His head tilted the other way. “I don’t….I don’t understand—”

“Mario, look at you.” Pauline gestured a hand towards the man and scoffed. “Ever since Donkey Kong, you’ve been picking up all of these jobs left and right!” Her voice hitched in her throat and she exhaled sharply. “Most days, I never even see you. It’s like you’re a ghost in my life.”

Mario frowned, wounded by her words. His gloved hands wrung together. “I’m sorry, I—”

“Mario,” Pauline interrupted, dabbing her teary eyes with the back of her hand. “Who are you? Do you know what you want in life?” 

He stammered, but finally exhaled, defeated. “I don’t know.”

Pauline sniffled once, regaining her composure. “I need to have some stability in my life. I’m sorry, Mario, but I can’t be stable when I’m with you.” She walked past him, only glancing back once. “Goodbye.” 

The sound of her heels blended in with the sound of the rain thumping against the city. Mario’s tears mixed in with the rain that poured down and around his face. Overhead, a thunderclap sounded. The rain wouldn’t stop falling for a while, it seemed.


	3. Interlude of the Mario Brothers

“....and it’s the Diamond City Roughs, up by 3 over the New Donk Dragons, as we enter halftime! Stay tuned for the halftime report, and more news from your local affiliates!”

The sound of the small television sitting on the table filled the rest of the tiny kitchen, as Luigi moved about as if the size of the room didn’t matter. Clad in an apron over his blue-jean overalls and green sleeved shirt, he donned a pair of oven mitts and opened the oven door. Steam rolled out, freed from the black metal box. 

“Mama mia,” Luigi spoke, his voice an octave higher than his brother’s voice. He placed the tray of garlic bread out of the oven and onto the counter. “This bread better not be crispy, or I’ll never catch the end of it from Mario.” 

Luigi was seen as the softer and gentler brother; where Mario was more adventurous and eager to try new things, Luigi was content beating down the well-travelled road. That wasn’t to say Luigi didn’t have his moments, but compared to his older brother, they were few and far between.

And though older Mario may have been, Luigi definitely had a height advantage over him, being a complete head taller. Luigi was thin, too; it seemed that no matter how much he ate, he couldn’t keep the pounds on for long.

The front door creaked open. From the kitchen, Luigi had a perfect view to see who the visitor was, and thankfully, it was only Mario. 

“You’re missing the game, Mario!!” Luigi called out. “The Roughs are really putting the screws to our offensive line!” His focus returned to the stove, picking up a wooden spoon and stirring a pot full of angel hair pasta. 

Mario rolled his eyes and sighed, hanging up his damp hat on the hat rack, right below Luigi’s similar green cap. The brothers were almost a replica of one another, from the way they dressed to the way they talked. But as Mario silently snuck into the kitchen and sat down at the table, Luigi could tell that Mario was unusually silent tonight. 

“The pasta, she’s almost al dente,” Luigi spoke up. Mario grunted, grabbing the volume dial on the television and turning it up. “So, how were things today? Did you get the Power Moon lines up?” 

“Yes, Luigi.” 

“Did you catch Pauline and the Players at Stanley’s?”

Mario cringed at the mention of her name. “They weren’t playing tonight.” 

“Oh, did you try inviting her over? Tonight is mama’s—”

“Mama’s pasta puttanesca,” Mario finished his brother’s sentence. He held his head in his hands and groaned. “Luigi, Pauline broke up with me.” 

Luigi laughed. “What? That’s a good joke.” He continued chuckling to himself as he poured the pasta out its pot and into a larger vat of sauce. He looked back over to Mario, the sight of the sad sack causing his smile to fade. “Wait, really?”

Mario nodded, sniffling loudly. “She said I was unstable,” he spoke up, a hint of incredulousness in his voice. “I’m working too much, I don’t know who I am…..”

“Well,” Luigi spoke up, rolling his shoulders as he pulled off his oven mitts. “I mean, it’s true. You haven’t really taken any time off for yourself.” Mario glared at him, and Luigi raised his hands in the air. “Look, I’m just stating the facts.” He sighed and returned his attention to the vat of pasta, stirring the pasta and sauce together. “You really threw yourself into all these different jobs with the wrecking crew since the Donkey Kong incident at the pie factory.” 

Mario sighed, leaning on his arm. “That’s what Pauline said. You all are right….I think I need to cut back on the jobs.” 

Luigi nodded as he moved to the cupboard behind Mario, grabbing a pair of china plates from it. “There you go,” he spoke up. He placed a hand on Mario’s shoulder and leaned in for a tight embrace. 

Mario wrapped his arms around his brother’s waist and squeezed, letting out one last sniffle. “Thanks, Bro. You’re number one.” 

“No, Bro,” Luigi said, lovingly ruffling his brother’s hair. “You’re number one.” He dished out the pasta and sat the plates down on the table, and after disrobing the apron, he joined Mario at the table.

“.....and Metro Kingdom scholars are eagerly awaiting the continued evacuation of a supposed underground settlement of ancient Mushroom Kingdom immigrants……” The reporter spoke over footage of an excavation site within the city.

Luigi perked up, dabbing a portion of his garlic bread into the sauce as he watched the television. “Hmm, isn’t that the place you and I are working at tomorrow with Spike?” 

Mario picked around on his food, only looking up at the television when Luigi spoke up. “Yeah,” he groaned, scooping up pasta and stuffing it into his mouth. “Didn’t know it was an archaeology site.” He scoffed a bit. “Mushroom Kingdom. Didn’t know you could go to school to research fairy tales.” 

Luigi shrugged and continued eating. This was the nightly routine of the brothers, a routine that didn’t seem to have an end in sight.


	4. The Lord of the Dark Lands

Darkness, and fire. That was all he had ever known here, in the Dark Lands. 

As he sped over bubbling rivers of lava on his broomstick, Kamek pushed his large, thick glasses onto his reptilian face and huffed. Was it night, or was it day? The kingdom the Koopas had established was always covered by a thick cover of smoke and clouds, and the sun was only allowed to share a thin sheen of light across the bleak landscape, if for no other reason than to keep its inhabitants safe from death. Despite all of this, no matter what the hour, Kamek was always available to assist his master. 

Yet as he glided away from the lava floes and across sure yet sooty ground, Kamek couldn’t help but feel as if his presence was requested far too soon. But what was he to do? He merely did as he was told, and he would do so expertly. 

He grabbed the handle of his broom and jerked it upwards, slowing it as he approached his destination. The castle was large, its brick and mortar as black as the skies above and studded with glaring metal spikes. Mounted on its ramparts were large cannons, and patrolling its walls were turtles armed to the teeth with hammers and boomerangs. 

He leapt off the wooden perch and onto the solid ground a couple feet below, and though it wasn’t too high, Kamek still found himself stumbling over his blue robes. He mumbled under his breath and staggered towards the main gate, the portcullis guarding the opening raising from a series of loud metal groans. 

Inside the castle, Kamek hurried across the velvet carpet cushioning against the pale stone floors. The carpet ended and he stepped across the arched stone bridge over the bubbling pond of lava that cut through the entire first floor of the castle, a small tributary of the large lake of lava he had passed over prior. The Koopas had turned this hellscape into a thriving war machine thanks to the lava sea; they mined the earth of its resources and refined it, turning the metal into weaponry and armor for a militia waiting for their moment in the sun. The sound of the forge was alive and well, echoing in tune to the march of guards patrolling the castle’s chambers.

Finally across the bridge, Kamek briskly walked across the carpeted floor once more. Here, he was approached by another of his kind, only dressed in robes of red instead of blue. 

“Make it quick, Kantor,” Kamek greeted him with a gruff tone. “I did not come all this way from the Metro Kingdom just for passing pleasantries.”

“Pardon, Master MagiKoopa.” Kantor hiked up his robes and kept pace with Kamek. “Lord Bowser has been demanding an update from you all morning…..I felt it wise to warn you—”

“Warn me?” Kamek scoffed. “Of what? Do you take me for a fool, unable to handle our master’s outbursts? I know better than all of you, of Lord Bowser’s temperament.” He threw a hand up, waving it. “Away from me.”

Kantor stammered out an incoherent apology a d shrunk away from Kamek’s words, nodding in silence before scuttling away. Kamek simply rolled his eyes. “Simpleton. By the stars….”

The hall finally found its end; a set of green, studded double doors stood between him and the lord of the castle. He reached down his sleeve, pulling out a wand adorned with a ruby orb. He waved it in silence, and as if by magic, the double doors creaked open. Tucking the wand back down his sleeve, Kamek entered the throne room. The source of the lava pond spewed from jet streams embedded around the room, its floor held up by rows of columns on either side, the only supports keeping the hall from falling into the fiery inferno below. 

And yet these marvels of architecture were nothing when compared to whom sat on the throne on the far end of the room. The creature was easily 12 feet tall, fiery red eyes glaring down at the MagiKoopa. It stood, its yellow, scaly skin glistening from the glow of the lava. It wore a heavy, spiked green turtle shell, its plastron carapace as imposing as its large muscular arms and legs; accessory to all of this were the spiked armbands and wristbands it wore. Its long, crimson ponytail matched the color of its bushy eyebrows, arched on the green skin of its head. 

“Lord Bowser.” Kamek kneeled, bowing his head to the creature. “Please forgive any delay. I hastened here as quickly as I could….”

“Quit stalling, Kamek,” Bowser growled. His deep, gravelly voice never failed to shake Kamek to the core. “What did you find in the Metro Kingdom?” 

“Milord, I regret to inform you that there seems to be no important warp routes there.”

Bowser’s eyes narrowed, a frown gracing his muzzle. “Do you mean to tell me,” he spoke, his nostrils flaring, “that we have sent a reconnaissance crew under your watch…”

Kamek lifted his head, and upon seeing the anger on his master’s face, fell backwards. “Now, Lord Bowser…”

“...and after all this time, you come up with nothing?” Bowser roared, his throat glowing. Heat rose through his mouth as he spat fire at his servant. 

Kamek quickly produced his wand and raised it high, a magical barrier forming around him, protecting him from Bowser’s flame. “Milord, it all isn’t for naught!! We found a relic!” 

Bowser stomped his way over in silence. He reached his mammoth hand down and plucked the MagiKoopa up by the back of his robes. 

“A Koopa relic!!!” Kamek shrieked.

Bowser’s eyes lit up. “From the Mushroom ruins?”

“In New Donk City, yes!!” Kamek’s head nodded rapidly in agreement. 

“The Axe?” Bowser mumbled. He had heard stories of a powerful weapon of Koopa origin, stolen away by those accursed mushrooms and hidden halfway across the world. A grin spread across his face, baring his fanged teeth. He dropped Kamek and turned, his barbed tail smacking the MagiKoopa.

Kamek fell to his apparent doom into the lava, only disappearing into a puff of smoke before breaching its surface. He reappeared, floating alongside Bowser on his broom, as the Koopa King sat back down on his throne. 

“Very well. See to it the relic is brought to me immediately.” 

“As we speak, our minions are on their way with it.” Kamek scooted back onto the cushioned brushes of the broom. “It should arrive by tomorrow.” 

Bowser guffawed. “Excellent! You have yet to fail me, Master MagiKoopa.” 

“Milord,” Kamek bowed his head, taking off his cloth cap and wiping the sweat from his brow before placing it back. “You humble me. I’ve wanted naught but the world for you since you were but a Koopaling.” 

“And the world I shall have,” Bowser replied. “But not before we finally pay our friends in the Mushroom Kingdom back in kind.” Bowser continued to guffaw, his laughter echoing with the sounds of an army ready for war.

Darkness, and fire. It was all he had ever known, and soon the world would know it all the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you may have noticed, Bowser’s hair is described as being in a ponytail. This was done for two reasons: 
> 
> 1\. Bowser’s sprite in the original Super Mario Bros. looks to be without hair at all, while official art reconciles this by giving his familiar mane. This is kind of a fun in-between. 
> 
> 2\. This is a deliberate callback to his young Baby design in the Yoshi series, which parts of that was later adapted for Bowser Jr. Seeing as how this is an origin story, I figured it would be nice to showcase Bowser as having a hold-over from his youth as symbolized in his hairstyle.


	5. A Dream and a Wish

It was all she ever seemed to see in her dreams. As soon as she went to sleep, she would wake up to the sound of fireworks. A child once more, she would scoot to the edge of the bed, tiny feet dangling off the side before she pushed off, landing quietly onto the floor. Her father stood outside, on her balcony, watching the rocket’s glare try to match the spectacle of the starry sky. 

“Father? What’s going on?” 

He gestured her to his side, yet never dared to glance down at her. “It’s a time of celebration, my daughter. We have won.” 

She would hold his large, calloused hand in hers. “We won? What did we win? Is it like a game?” 

He chuckled, placing his free hand on his stomach. “Oh my, no. At least, not a game children should play.” Even as she watched him, her eyes studied a face that continued to remain hidden by shadow, even in the passing explosions of light. “We have won against our ancient enemy.” 

“The Koopas?”

“Now where did you hear that name, my love?” 

“From Toadsworth….” she replied sheepishly. “But he said they were just from fairy tales.”

“Ah...indeed, they are now a distant memory. A fairy tale.” 

She watched the fireworks blossom in the sky. A question lingered on her mind. “Father, what if…” she paused, fiddling with the end of her nightgown. “What if they come back?” 

He kneeled down, meeting her at eye level. Finally, his face was revealed to her. His bright blue eyes met hers, and through his trimmed blonde beard, he smiled fondly. He placed his hand on her head and ran it through her golden locks. “My lovely Peach, do not ever fear the Koopas. For even in your darkest hour, I will always protect you.”

She leaned into his hand, yet the hand soon crumbled. In horror, she watched as her father was silenced and turned to ash. In the breeze, he blew away, her attempts to reach him failing. 

The fireworks ceased. The starry sky faded from view. In complete darkness, she stood in complete terror before a monster, wreathed in flame. It bellowed a fearsome roar, and soon grew into a larger ball of flame. It hurtled towards the girl, and though she desperately tried to outrun it, it caught her. She wailed in pain, reaching out as the fire spread over her. “Father!! Someone!!! Anyone!!!” She saw a bright light…..

And finally she sat up in bed with a start. Clutching her chest, Peach panted. She looked around the candlelit room; there wasn’t a single thing out of place, and all was as it should be.

She brought her knees up and hugged them, taking a shaky breath and letting it out slowly. The bedroom door creaked open, and she soon straightened out, smoothing her sheets out. 

“Your Highness?” A girl peeked inside, a candlestick in her hands, then finally stepped into the room. She was small, with stubby feet and arms, and was clad in a simple pink dress shirt underneath a red vest. Her beady eyes were a stark contrast to her bulbous mushroom cap; it was pink in color with white spots, with two braids of similarly-colored bulbs hanging down either side of her head. “I could hear you shouting from the hall. Are you okay?” Her voice was childlike, befitting a creature of such stature. 

“Oh, yes Toadette,” Peach answered with a soft smile. “Just a bad dream.” 

“Another one?” Toadette sat the candle on the nightstand beside the bed, then climbed up onto the bed with some effort. “Maybe you should see a doctor or something about these dreams.” 

Peach stifled back a small giggle. “Dreams come and go. But they’re only dreams, nothing more.” She tossed the sheets back and carefully slipped out of bed. Her silken nightgown fell around her as she approached the balcony. Tall, beautiful, and gracious…this was the sharp contrast to the fragile, frightened girl from her dreams, from yesteryear. Opening the doors, she stepped out onto the stone patio, and was soon met by a gentle breeze on this quiet night. 

Toadette watched her, head tilted to the side. “Is it still about His Highness?” 

Peach silently tucked a lock of her flowing blonde hair behind her ear, and then nodded. 

“I know it must be hard,” Toadette said, sliding off the bed. She toddled over to the balcony, now standing alongside Peach. “His passing kinda shocked us all.”

“He was my father, and my king,” Peach mused, staring across the slumbering hills of green. Mushrooms of all shapes and sizes dotted the landscape, their spotted mushroom caps shining in the pale moonlight. “And I am his daughter, and now I am to rule this kingdom as its sole princess.” 

“And you’ll do a good job of it!” Toadette wrapped her tiny arms as best she could around her waist. “And you will do a good job from here until eternity.” 

Peach cooed and bent down. She scooped her friend up and hugged her tightly. “And I couldn’t do it without the help of everyone in the kingdom.” She sat Toadette back down. “You’ve all shown me such gratitude, I can’t begin to explain how much it means to me.” 

“Oh, it’s…” Toadette stretched, yawning. “...nothing at all.” She walked back into the bedroom and picked up her candlestick off of the nightstand. “Is there anything else I can do for you, Your Highness?” 

Peach watched her, her smile unwavering. “Not at all, you’ve done so much for me tonight. Please, get some sleep.”

“You too, now!” Toadette waddled towards the door. “Goodnight, Princess Peach.” With that, she closed the door. 

Peach stared back out across the Mushroom Kingdom, the countryside stretching as far as the eye could see. Yet, even though the Mushroom Kingdom remained to itself, lost to the world as nothing more than the kingdom of fairy tales, Peach couldn’t shake the image of the beast of fire. It felt so real, so alive; it was as if, at this very moment, it plotted to destroy all that she loved.

She brought her hands together and bowed her head. “Merciful Star Spirits,” she prayed. “Grant me the strength to rule this kingdom justly and fairly.” She looked to the stars, the same sky she had seen in her dream. “Father, you told me long ago you would always protect me. Please, by the Stars, grant me your protection, whatever that may be.” 

She dropped her hands to her side and sighed. She stepped back into her bedroom, closing the balcony doors, unaware of a shooting star blazing across the night sky.


	6. Wish Upon a Star

Mario couldn’t sleep. 

Tossing and turning in his bed, his mind was weighed down by the day’s events. Her words echoed endlessly in his head.

 _“Who are you? Do you know what you want in life?”_

He groaned and glanced over at the alarm clock, its digital display flickering the ungodly hour of 2 in the morning through the darkness of his small bedroom. Finally deciding that sleep wasn’t coming to his aid quite yet, Mario pulled the sheets back and climbed out of bed. 

He stepped out of his bedroom and down the hall on his way to the kitchen, the floorboards creaking softly beneath his weight. He stopped at the doorway to Luigi’s bedroom, peeking in. There he was, sleeping like a baby. Mario thoughtfully smiled, a brief respite from himself. Luigi always seemed content with himself, never letting anything get him down. Sure, he was cowardly; he had gotten spooked by his own shadow once! But Luigi had plans: train as a plumber as part of the wrecking crew, open up his own business, and finally meet a nice girl to settle down with. 

Was it simple? Yes, painfully so. But it was an ambition Luigi worked hard for, and it was an ambition he shared with Mario frequently. 

Mario moved away from the doorway and continued down the hall. He entered the kitchen and grabbed a glass from the cupboard, then moved to the sink to fill it with water. As he sipped silently on his drink, his thoughts continued to fester. He knew why Luigi always brought up plumbing: it was to convince him to finally settle down, and to do something more than be the jack of all trades. Mario would always shrug it off. “Let me think about it,” was the familiar excuse.

The glass empty, Mario placed it in the sink. He trudged back down the hall, past Luigi’s room once more, and finally back into his own room. He walked around his bed and to the window, pushing it open and staring out at the quiet cityscape. 

The storm earlier in the night didn’t last long, the clouds driven away by the pale moonlight. Though parts of the city were still lit up and abuzz with life, Mario’s little ‘burb slept quietly under a blanket of stars. His eyes lit up as a shooting star blazed across the horizon.

“You picked a bad time to see me for a wish.” He leaned on his arms and sighed, focusing on the disappearing path the star left behind. “I just know there’s something more out there. I’m not the biggest paisan, but this city’s too small for a guy like me. I just want to prove to the world that I can do great things.” 

He watched the sky, as if waiting for an answer. Finally deciding it to be too silly, he stepped away from his window, turning to his bed. He’d leave it open; the breeze felt good.

Light flooded Mario’s room for only the briefest of moments, and he hesitated climbing into bed. He glanced back at the window, and spotted something completely odd sitting on his sill: a whistle. It was small, yet it shone with an otherworldly light. His brows knitted together as he picked it up, the light fading and revealing the instrument’s dazzling golden color. 

Mario popped his head out of the window, looking up, down, and then side to side. If someone was playing a trick on him, it wasn’t a very funny one. But with no devilish trickster in sight, Mario finally retreated back to his bed, holding his prize.

“Maybe it’s something Luigi left behind,” he decided with a yawn, stretching out. He climbed back into bed, holding the whistle close. His thoughts turned away from retrospective matters and instead turned towards possibilities for what this whistle might mean and what secrets it could hold. Mario closed his eyes, and finally he drifted peacefully to sleep. 


	7. The Mushroom Ruins of New Donk City

The scooter puttered down the busy streets of the city, an urban jungle of cars and commerce surrounded by skyscraping towers of metal and glass. Luigi kept an arm hooked around his brother, while he clutched Mario’s mystery whistle in his free hand. He glanced down at it, taking in its beauty, before he reached around and tucked it into one of Mario’s overall pockets.

“Well??” Mario called out above the roar of the scooter’s engine.

“I’ve never seen it.” Luigi tucked a hand under his hard hat and scratched his head. “You sure Pauline didn’t leave it behind?” 

Mario rolled his eyes as the scooter rolled to a stop at a red light. “Shut up, Luigi.” 

“I’m not joking this time, Mario!!”

The scooter groaned as it rolled forward and soon took a turn down one of the very few dirt roads left in New Donk City. Construction signs dotted along the side of the road, and before long, the road forked; one path lead to a detour back into the city, while the other was guarded with a large chain link fence, its gate patrolled by construction workers. 

“Listen,” Mario continued. “I know Pauline loves music. But I’ve never seen her with anything like this.” He patted his pocket, feeling the outline of the whistle, as a worker walked up to his scooter. “Buon giorno, Joey!” Mario never failed to switch gears, his mood going from serious to jovial at a moment’s notice. 

“Hey, good morning, Mario, Luigi!” The larger man tipped his hard hat to the brothers. He finally crossed his arms and sighed. “Spike’s in a hell of a mood today, guys. Just keep your heads down and your ears up.” He turned to two other workers standing guard at the gate. “Hey, guys!!! Open it up!!” 

The workers pulled the fence gate open, and Mario tipped his own hard hat to Joey. “Thanks for the warning.” Luigi waved to the workers as the scooter continued down the road. 

It was only a short ride to the construction site; the archaeology site could easily be confused for a quarry, a pit extending deep down into the ground. But as Mario parked his scooter near the myriad pickup trucks and backhoes, he could spot more traditional sedans with official tags hailing from the New Donk University’s Historical Department. 

“Ah, great, looks like the university had to stick its nose into our business.” 

“Oh, really?” Luigi sighed. “I wonder if it’s gonna be like, remember that restaurant we helped do the plumbing in, and those suits from the restaurant came in trying to tell us how to do our job?” 

“The eggplant men?” Mario laughed at the memory of their gaudy purple suits. 

“Mario! Luigi!!” A gruff voice bellowed across the construction site. It was loud enough to drown out the sound of any power tools nearby. The voice belonged to a tall man,his dark shirt barely containing his muscular arms and his beer belly paunch. Beneath his thick, dark beard and large sunglasses, the man seethed with an anger that Mario and Luigi were both accustomed to. He glared down at the brothers, standing head and shoulders above the two. “You both are late! What the hell kept you?” 

“Traffic, Spike. There’s no easy way to get here than through downtown,” Mario spoke up. 

Spike tossed an arm around Mario and sighed. “Listen, we got a lot of work to do today, so I’d appreciate it if you and your brother would work on a water main we hit….” The two of them pressed on as Luigi followed behind, weaving around workers passing by. 

“Hey, excuse me,” a feminine, yet loud voice spoke up. Luigi looked around, then turned, a young woman approaching him. Aside from the hard hat she wore, she was clad in a simple yellow blouse with a floral pattern, her jeans ripped and threadbare near her knees. Her brown, shoulder-length hair bounced with each step she took towards him. 

Luigi looked around nervously, before looking back at the girl. “Who, me?” 

The woman chuckled. “Of course, you. This is the archaeology site, right?” 

“The Mushroom Kingdom one, yeah.”

“Oh, thank goodness!” The woman let out a sigh of relief. “My alarm didn’t go off at all, and I got here late. I’m with a group of Sand Kingdom scholars. We’re trying to do a bit more research into the ruins here.” 

Luigi had zoned out, fixated on the woman’s features. Her blue eyes were like an oasis, a match to her sandy complexion. As soon as she stopped talking, though, he snapped back to reality. “Oh, yeah, the ruins.” He stumbled over his words. “Well, they’re Mushroom Kingdom ruins, I guess.” He tapped his forehead in thought. “But to be honest, I thought the Mushroom Kingdom was just a bunch of make-believe.” 

“Are you kidding?” The woman laughed and took his hand, smiling. “Make-believe is the first step towards finding the history in what you see all around you! Let me show you something.” She tugged him along, her iron grip no match for Luigi’s attempts to pull away. He looked back to Spike and Mario, both of whom were surveying the rest of the construction site, blissfully unaware of his disappearance. 

The two soon arrived at a large pipe, its green color nearly bleached by the sun. “Look at this. I’m sure you’ve seen some of these around the city.” 

“Yeah,” Luigi replied, a chill running down his spine. “Every plumber worth their salt won’t go near these pipes.”

“Well, some of us think these used to be used as pathways built by ancient Mushroom Kingdom settlers. They would use these to travel huge distances quickly!” She placed a hand on the pipe, looking up at it in admiration. “We even have these in Sarasaland.”

Luigi tilted his head. “Sarasaland?” 

The woman looked back to Luigi, a blush crossing her cheeks. “Oh, I’m sorry, I got so caught up talking I didn’t even introduce myself. I’m such a chatterbox….” She extended a hand to Luigi. “I’m Daisy, from the Sand Kingdom province of Sarasaland.”

Luigi sheepishly took her hand, gently shaking it. “Luigi, from, well….here. It’s a pleasure to meet me—….you! I mean you!” 

Daisy laughed, covering her mouth. “You’re funny, Luigi. Thanks for listening to me go on.” 

“Any time!” Luigi spoke up. He continued to shake her hand. 

“Well….do you mind, uhm,” Daisy glanced down at his hand. “Do you mind letting go?” Luigi caught himself, his face turning a deep shade of red. He let go of her hand, as she giggled. “You know, I’m actually going to be in town for a few more days. Would you like to talk more, maybe over coffee?”

“Absolutely! Hey, we could meet at Stanley’s—”

“Hey, Luigi!!” 

Luigi turned, spotting Spike and Mario standing a distance away. “Quit flirting and get to work!!!” Spike bellowed. 

“Yes, sir!!” Luigi called out. He looked back to Daisy, who gave him a sheepish wave. He waved in return, and stepped away to rejoin Mario.


	8. The Pipe Dream

The job seemed simple enough. 

The wrecking crew had continued their dig further down into the earth, working in tandem with university officials to make sure nothing of historical significance or value was being damaged as they worked. However, half a mile down they encountered an issue: a large water main cut through the stone work, and being rather important for this section of New Donk City, the main would have to be rerouted and the old pipe system deconstructed along with it. 

Enter Mario & Luigi, the two best plumbers in the entire wrecking crew. Mario seemed to be a natural at the craft, and while Luigi still had a lot to learn, he was definitely picking things up quickly from his older brother. 

The two descended into the darkness of the quarry pit, carefully climbing downwards via a rope. 

“So,” Mario spoke up with a hint of playfulness in his voice. “Got yourself a girlfriend, now?” 

“No, she was just asking for directions,” Luigi mumbled, glaring down at him. 

“Where? To our apartment?” The elder brother began to chuckle. “What would Mama think of her _widdle Weegee_ asking a girl out on a date?” His laughter grew louder, only to be silenced as Luigi kicked the back of his head.

“Whoops, sorry! My foot must’ve slipped,” the younger brother innocently called out. 

Mario grumbled and adjusted his hard hat, just as they reached the bottom. He leapt down onto solid ground, then helped Luigi make sure he got his footing. He turned on his headlamp, the darkness a bit less of a threat as he took in the dank atmosphere. Luigi followed suit, and soon he pointed out a large pipe opening across from their position. 

“So, really, are you taking this girl out or not?” Mario continued his train of thought, as they wandered down the pipe path. 

“Well, she mentioned coffee, and I was about to offer to meet her at Stanley’s but….” Luigi paused, wringing his hands together. “Well, then you and Spike showed up, and I, uh….never got a chance to seal the deal.” 

“Mama mia, Luigi….” Mario sighed, throwing an arm around his brother. He flashed him a wide smile. “I’m proud of you. You actually talked to a girl that wasn’t Mama.” 

Luigi’s cheeks brightened, and he shoved Mario’s arm off. “Very funny, Mario.” 

“I mean it! I’m really proud of you. Just make sure you set the date the next time you see her.”

Luigi smiled, then puffed his chest out a bit. The two soon found the source of the water main, as the pipe opened up to a network of pipes big and small, weaving all around. 

Mario took stock of the tools on his belt, then pushed forward. “Well, let’s get this over with.” Luigi nodded, and after adjusting his own toolbelt he began sizing up the pipes. 

The two worked, disconnecting and reassembling pipelines in relative silence, save for Mario’s humming. 

“You know,” Luigi broke the silence. “I think this job will put me over the mark.” 

“For what?” Mario asked. He leapt down from his perch on a supporting pipe, making his way to another pipeline on ground level.

“Come on, you know! The plumbing business!” 

Mario cringed. He knew where this was going. “Oh, really?” He humored his brother.

Luigi walked over. “Come on, Mario. We’ve talked about it before. I have enough saved up so that you don’t have to make any starting investment.” 

“Look, Luigi, that’s nice, but—”

“And, I even thought of a name!” The younger brother spread his hands out, as if picturing it out of thin air. “Mario Brothers Plumbing Service!”

“Luigi…” 

“And I even thought of a tagline! ‘You clog ‘em, we clear ‘em!’”

“Oh for crying out loud, Luigi!!” Mario snapped, glaring at him. “I don’t want to be a part of this!” He put his hand on his forehead and rubbed it in agitation. “Let me do things my own way by myself for once, alright?!” 

Luigi paused, frowning. He dropped his hands to his sides and sighed, wounded by his brother’s words. 

Whatever anger Mario felt quickly faded, and instead he felt regret. “I’m sorry, Luigi, I didn’t mean to just snap at you. I’m—”

Luigi grabbed Mario by the shoulder. “Shh,” he whispered, putting his finger to his lips. His look had turned serious, his eyebrows arched. “Listen.” 

Mario stood silently with his brother. In the distance, the sound of pipes groaning and metal clanging on metal echoed softly from above. 

The job seemed simple enough, until now.


	9. Koopa Kalamity

The pipes groaned under the weight of the Koopa troop’s bipedal march. Upon the man-made precipice, they carried a large axe, six on each side of its length, across the deep chasm the dig site had created. The head of this weapon was easily the size of two Koopas put together. It was a marvel of Koopa weaponry, lost in the depths of a city half a world away from its home. 

“Lost, but now found,” Kota mused. He withdrew a hand out from the depths of his green robes to adjust his large glasses, a smirk plastered on his face. “Master Kamek and Lord Bowser will be most pleased.” 

“Pleased?” A gruff voice shook Kota awake from his daydream. The startled MagiKoopa pulled his scepter out from the depths of the robe, and soon the cloudy image of Kamek appeared in its large emerald gemstone. “I think the proper word is impatient. Where are you with that axe??” 

Kota gulped down his fear. “Master MagiKoopa, there shouldn’t be any further delay. We’ll have the axe within hours.” 

“For your sake and for my sake,” Kamek responded, “I shall see that axe in minutes!” With that, the fuzzy visage displayed on Kota’s scepter disappeared. 

As Kota continued to oversee the Koopas, Mario and Luigi witnessed the marauders from about 10 feet above, the brothers inside a grated pipe. 

“Luigi, are you seeing this?” Mario whispered. 

“What are those things, Mario?” Luigi mumbled. He sat behind Mario, watching with trepidation. 

“Koopas, but…” The elder brother rubbed his eyes and continued watching the turtles below. “Those things are outta fairy tales. They can’t be real.” He looked back to Luigi. “What did you put in that puttanesca last night??” 

Luigi slapped the back of Mario’s head. “C’mon, wise guy, this isn’t time for jokes! We need to get back above ground and tell someone about this!!” 

Mario shook his head and gripped the grating in front of him, twisting, tugging and pulling on it. “Nope, no time for that, little bro. By the time we get up there, these guys will be gone. We need to stop them from taking artifacts from the dig site.” 

“But Mario….” Luigi slid back as Mario began to kick the grating with his feet. “The New Donk City Construction Code, Protocol 714-83 states: ‘Any unauthorized personnel on the job site must be reported to the job foreman!’” 

Mario began to loosen the grating as he kicked. “Yeah well—” Finally, with one final kick, the grating flew off the pipe, falling through the pipework below with a clatter. “Forget the code.” With that, Mario leapt out of the pipe and onto a balcony of pipes near the bridge, taking the Koopas by surprise.

Kota audibly gasped as the plumber landed out of seemingly nowhere. “You there! Who are you??” 

Mario stood, adjusting his hardhat. “My name’s Mario, and—”

The sound of a perilous scream stopped Mario mid-sentence. The elder brother turned, watching as his younger brother fell from the pipe below and onto the platform face first. He rolled his eyes and smacked his forehead. “.....And this is my brother, Luigi.” He focused on the gawking turtles, hand held out in signaling them to stop. “That’s a pretty priceless looking artifact you’re taking. On behalf of the New Donk City Construction Union, I can’t let you leave with that.”

Kota adjusted his glasses and huffed as he waved his scepter. Colorful shapes emerged and encircled the emerald gem. “So you think you’re a tough guy, huh? Alright, Mario.” He swiped the scepter towards Mario, sending the multicolored magical attack towards him. “Dodge this!” 

Without even thinking, Mario leaped, somersaulting over the attack of angular symbols and landing beside one of the Koopas hoisting the axe across the small bridge of pipes. He sent his fist colliding against its jaw, and as it screeched in pain, it fell back and off the bridge, careening into the ravine of pipes below. 

The magical blast had collided into where Mario once stood, into the pipework near the dazed Luigi, who was clearly woken up by the attack. He watched as a Koopa abandoned its post and snuck around the axe as Mario whaled on another trooper. “Mario!! Behind you!” 

The older brother turned, sweeping the leg of the would-be Koopa caper. The turtle gasped before they fell, coldcocking themselves on the head as they tumbled off the pipe bridge. Kota sneered and shot a look at Luigi, before noticing that the pipe opening above the younger brother seemed to attract some stink flies. Kota waved his magic wand and summoned another blast of colorful magic, this time targeting the flies overhead. Struck by the magic, these flies grew monstrous forms and landed down by Luigi, their puny wings not doing much but causing them to hopscotch towards him. 

“Ack! Mario!!! We got a bug infestation over here!” Luigi wrangled against one, locking hands with the monstrous fly’s crude humanoid paws. Mario turned to spot the other fly about to tackle Luigi, and quickly leapt from the bridge and onto the fly, flattening it under his feet, exploding into a puff of magical smoke. Luigi continued to tussle with the last Fighter Fly, giving it a headbutt right between its antennae. The fly grasped its head and stumbled back, dazed, before Luigi punted it away and down the ravine. 

“Enough of this! Koopas, we are wasting Master Kamek and Lord Bowser’s time!!” With a last wave of his wand, Kota summoned two more Fighter Flies from the pipes above and over to the bridge. They took the load of the axe and helped the last two Koopas cross the bridge and into the large pipe opening that Kota had guarded. The MagiKoopa toadie sneered again at the brothers. “Too bad for you, you insufferable plumbers.” With a final cackle, Kota disappeared into the darkness of the pipe. The axe had been lost. Mario growled in irritation, and crossed back over onto the bridge. 

“Mario, where are you going?” Luigi called out, a sigh trailing behind the question just as the younger brother began to trail behind the older. 

“I’m gonna follow them, Luigi! We can stop them! These pipes lead somewhere, and eventually we can get them out into the open!” Mario crossed the bridge, and through the large pipe. Luigi scurried behind half a pace behind him, stopping to turn his headlamp on as he entered the dank, dark pipe. He followed closely behind the brother, as the pipe narrowed until they arrived at a blockage of earth and concrete. 

“A dead end.” 

“What?” Mario stared at it, flabbergasted. “No, they came this way. You saw it as well as I did!” He turned and looked up at Luigi. “They came this way. There was no other way they could have gone.” 

“Maybe so,” Luigi mumbled, scratching his head underneath his hardhat. “Then again, the air is pretty stagnant down here. Maybe we were hallucinating.” He placed a hand on Mario’s shoulder, feeling him tense up. “Come on, bro. Let’s not forget New Donk City Construction Code, Section 7-17 on page 90 of the handbook: ‘If you feel unwell on the job site, go see the doctor before you get the fever or the chills!’”

Mario shrugged Luigi’s hand off of his shoulder. “You and your code….they came this way.” He looked down to his empty toolbelt, then to Luigi’s. “Give me your hammer.” 

Luigi gave Mario a hard glare before he finally relented, pulling the mallet off the holster on his toolbelt and handing it over. Mario grabbed it eagerly, then began chipping away at the earthen plug for several minutes. After what felt like an eternity, Mario paused. 

“I think it’s coming loose.” 

Luigi leaned over his shoulder, as a small spray of water sprayed him in the face. He coughed and sputtered wiping his face with his gloved hand before he spotted several more spouts erupt from the earth. He took several steps back. “Mario, I’ve got a bad feeling about this….”

Mario couldn’t disagree. The floor of the pipe began to groan and rumble, and as he took a step back, the earth plug began to give way. “Run for it!!!” Luigi didn’t think twice as he turned to flee, but as the water began pouring from the plug and pooling around their feet, he slipped and fell on his face. Mario tried to collect his brother in his arms, but the earth finally crumbled, a tidal wave of backed-up overflow pushing the two out of the pipe. They held onto each other and kept their head above water, but similar eruptions around the pipe began to occur, jets of water shooting through the pipes and propelling the brothers high up through the archaeological chasm. They could only hold onto each other for dear life as the water propelled them up, towards the light. 

The pipes continued to erupt all around them, culminating in a gigantic flow of water that shot the brothers out of the pit onto the solid surface ground and flooded the dig site. The workers around the pit fled from the flooding, heading for higher ground, until finally the pit became waterlogged from the erupting pipes.

Mario sat up, soaked head to toe. He took off his hardhat to free the water trapped underneath it, as Luigi spat water out of his mouth. 

“You alright, Luigi?” 

“Yeah. Okie-dokie.” 

“Mario!!! Luigi!!!” 

The two froze at the sound of Spike’s voice. They looked over and spotted him, jaw hung open in shock. Behind him were the officials from New Donk City University, dressed in suits and looking equally distressed. To Luigi’s embarrassment, Daisy stood far behind, a hand covering her mouth. 

Spike looked at them, placing a hand on his hardhat in exasperation, mouth agape. 

The brothers looked at each other.

“Uh-oh.” 


	10. Circling the Drain

The brothers stood inside Spike’s trailer, a mobile home furnished with enough to call it an office. They stood at his desk, though both Mario and Luigi were tense with fear and soaked from whatever overflow that Mario had accidentally knocked loose from the depths below. Luigi held onto his hardhat, his fingers nervously readjusting along its brim. 

It was hard to read Spike’s expression through the sunglasses that he refused to remove, even while he was indoors. Mario could only note the twitch of Spike’s finger as the foreman tapped at his keyboard, and the bulging vein on his neck as he stared at his computer monitor. Finally, he looked at the brothers and spoke. 

“Twenty-thousand in damages to all equipment. Forty-thousand in damages to the city pipes. There’s another thirty-thousand in fines and fees for not following New Donk City Construction Code. Plus, NDCU is undoubtedly going to be pulling the plug from the project, meaning that’s an additional ten-thousand coin loss.” Spike inhaled as he clasped his hands together, then exhaled. “That’s eighty-thousand coins, your salaries combined.” 

The brothers winced from the number. 

“You’ve got one chance to say something magical,” Spike continued, his voice raising in anger. “Something that will dry the dig site, repair the pipes you both broke, mend our relationship with the university, and maybe, just maybe make me believe you both didn’t just royally screw up.”

Luigi began to speak, to offer up a profuse apology that would be hopelessly lost on their foreman. But then Mario placed his hands on Spike’s desk, the look on his face determined. 

“Spike, there were Koopas down there! They were taking an archaeological find and we didn’t have time to get back up to the surface before they escaped with it.” 

“Koopas. From the fairy tales.” Spike leaned forward across the desk, right up in Mario’s face. “Get real, drainhead. What, was Luigi reading you bedtime stories last night?” 

“Why you—” Mario was ready to lunge across the desk, but was stopped as Luigi grabbed him by the shoulders and yanked him back. 

“Besides, what were these Koopas even taking?” 

“An axe, sir,” Luigi finally spoke up, interrupted once again as Mario pulled away from him. 

“Yeah, an axe about 7, maybe 8 feet tall!!” Mario raised his hand above his head, trying to showcase just how large the weapon in question was. 

Spike blurted out laughing, finally sitting back in his office chair. Mario and Luigi watched, unamused. “And these Koopas just disappeared with a bit of Sprixie dust through the pipes?” 

“Well, maybe not quite like that, but…” Luigi nodded. “Yes.” 

“And you,” Spike pointed at Mario. “Decided to go chasing after them and started hammering around the pipes?” 

Mario glared at the foreman, face beet-red from embarrassment, but still undeterred. “Yeah.” 

Spike leaned back in his seat. “Get out.” 

Luigi paled. “But Spike, can’t you just—”

Spike stood, teeth bared as he snarled at the brothers. “Get. Out!!!”

Time stopped for Luigi. That was it, the end. This job was going to be the end of his life as a construction worker and be the beginning of a life for him, and Mario if he wanted in. And that washed away with everything else at the dig site. By the time he came to his senses, Mario was halfway out the door of Spike’s office. Spike watched Luigi, arms crossed. Mixed with sheepish embarrassment and grief over the death of his dream, Luigi quietly exited the trailer. 

Mario was already halfway across the construction site, heading towards their parked scooter, when Luigi was stopped by a hand placed on his shoulder. He jumped and turned, facing Daisy, who instantly recoiled her hand. 

“I’m sorry,” she spoke up. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Luigi took a deep sigh of relief. “It’s okay. Mama always said I was jumpy.” He took her hand in his. “I’m so sorry for what happened. We didn’t mean to do all of….” He looked around, gesturing broadly with his hand. “....well, this.” 

Daisy smiled, clasping her hands around his. “Aw, don’t worry. I was doing a study independent from the university anyways, and besides, I have a pen pal that can help me find another point of research.” She glanced over Luigi’s shoulder, as Mario began to approach them. “But, uh….are you two going to be okay?” 

Mario had just stepped within earshot of the two, as Luigi began to speak up. “Well, we did kind of just lose our jobs. Mario…really kind of screwed up, big time….” Mario’s shoulders sagged. As if things didn’t already feel like the world was taking it out on him, now his brother was too.

“But hey, we’ll spring back from this,” Luigi assured her. “We’re the Mario brothers, and we’ve been in clogs much bigger than this.” 

Mario tapped Luigi’s shoulder. The younger turned and looked at him, and the friendly smile faded. He must have heard what he had said. “Mario. Listen, I….”

“Invited this nice, young lady for a cup of coffee at Stanley’s?” Mario winked and grinned.

Luigi blushed. Daisy noticed and giggled, though her cheeks turned a slight shade of red as well. “That actually does sound nice.” She stretched her hand out to Mario. “Hi, I’m Daisy.”

Mario took her hand and shook it. She definitely was quite a look, but there was something about her that didn’t seem Mario’s type. Maybe Luigi’s, sure. Then again, things were still a bit too raw after last night. “Mario Mario.” 

“Mario…Mario?” Daisy asked. She looked at Luigi. “And you’re Luigi…”

“Mario. Luigi Mario.” 

“Mario Mario and Luigi Mario.” Daisy repeated. 

“Yes! The Mario brothers, like I told you!” 

Daisy giggled again. “Alright, Luigi. You’ve got yourself a date. I’ll see you at 7 at Stanley’s, was it?” 

Luigi nodded, waving as Daisy walked off. “What a girl. Mario, did you hear that?” 

Silence.

“Mario?” Luigi turned around, watching as Mario began the slow trek back to their scooter. His heart sank to his feet. He didn’t mean to sound that way, especially within earshot of his older brother. He quickly found the strength to move and to follow Mario back to their scooter.

Luigi really hoped he hadn’t damaged Mario’s trust among everything else that had been destroyed today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you could tell, the scene involving Daisy at the dig site were very heavily inspired by the movie. 
> 
> Say what you will, but it had some good character interactions.


	11. The Warp Whistle

The scooter puttered down the streets of the city, bathed in the glow of neon. The night owls had begun to stir, and the city changed outfits. 

So had the Mario brothers, dressed in their matching blue jean overalls, long-sleeved shirts, and matching caps, the difference being in choice of color: Mario always wore red, and Luigi wore green. Tonight, though, the younger brother sported a gawdy bright green bowtie as an addition that Mario thought was fashionably questionable. 

Mario parallel parked the scooter along the curb, the marquee for Stanley’s Lounge shining brightly down on them both. Luigi hopped off the back of the scooter and peeked through the wide window into the bar. There Daisy sat, talking to friendly bartender Stanley. He could tell from that from where he stood, she already looked amazing, dressed in a simple, yet shining golden dress, a flower shaped brooch fastened on her chest. 

Mario playfully slapped Luigi on the back. “Are you going to stand there gawking all night, or are you gonna go in there?” He let out an exaggerated gasp. “Don’t tell me you’ve got cold feet.”

Luigi slugged Mario in the arm with a smirk. “I’m going, I’m going! Are you coming in too?” 

Mario leaned against the handle of the scooter and scoffed. “Little brother, little brother. Why would I be the third wheel on your first date? I wouldn’t want to jinx anything.” He gave him a knowing look. “I wouldn’t want to screw anything up, big time.” 

Luigi’s eyes widened. He had overheard him. “Mario, about earlier….” 

Mario grinned wide again and pushed Luigi forward. “I’m just teasing you, Weegee. I’ll stand guard out here. Go on!” Luigi frowned, but smiled as Mario continued to shoo him away, then finally he walked off, entering Stanley’s. 

Mario watched the bartender and hostess wave at Luigi, and then watched Daisy stand as he approached her. They embraced, then sat back down as Stanley slid over two cups of coffee. Mario sighed, leaning against the scooter handle, watching new love blossom for his little brother. 

Things had been turned completely upside down for Mario. He was New Donk City’s finest plumber and contractor, and that wasn’t even considering his work as an animal tamer, or even as a referee for a couple of sporting events around the city. 

….Okay, so maybe he wore too many hats sometimes, but he was still one of the hardest working people in town. And that hard work was noticed when he saved the mayor’s daughter from an escaped circus ape and its young offspring. Pauline was grateful, but that wasn’t why they had initially fallen in love. They had shared a common interest in big band and swing, especially Pauline, who had her own act that played at Stanley’s Lounge. 

But somewhere between working at a cement factory and officiating one of the first boxing matches for the World Video Boxing Association, something had changed between him and Pauline. The time spent together grew shorter and the work hours grew longer. Was it really any shock that she put her foot down and said enough was enough? Even now, her words continued to echo through his mind. 

_ “Who are you? Do you know what you want in life?”  _

To make matters worse, he had gone from the best plumber to the worst in only a few short hours, losing the lucrative gig with the wrecking crew not just for him, but for Luigi, too. He had dragged his brother down with him, when all Luigi wanted to do was help build the both of them up. 

_ “Mario…really kind of screwed up, big time….” _

Those words were what hurt most of all, because no matter how tough things got and how they would occasionally hit rock bottom, the brothers could at least lock arms, stand back-to-back, and climb up from rock rock bottom. But now? Now he felt like he had lost Luigi’s faith in him. 

Mario patted his pocket. Maybe that little whistle he found would give him some ideas. It looked like it was gold; maybe he could sell it at the local pawn shop for a good bit of coin….

Mario stood up off of the bike, patting himself down. “Oh no, come on.” He grumbled. “Where is it?” He could not feel it anywhere on him. He turned his pockets inside out, only for pocket lint and a coin or two to bounce out and onto the ground. 

The whistle was gone. He didn’t know why, but Mario could feel as if he had lost some new hope with it. But instead of mourning, his hand tightened into a fist with a new sense of determination as he concluded under no uncertain terms where it was: 

“I must have dropped it at the construction site!!” He looked to his scooter, ready to hop back on. But he would be abandoning Luigi; the construction site was halfway across the city, and he didn’t want to make his little brother think he had bailed on him. He exchanged a look between his scooter, then through the window of Stanley’s, before he approached the lounge’s double doors with little hesitation. 

“....and that’s when I said, ‘here today, hot tamale!’” Luigi laughed, banging his fist against the table. 

Daisy giggled, taking a sip of her coffee while he settled from his hysterics. “That’s really funny, Luigi.” 

“Yeah?” Luigi smiled, bringing his cup to his lips. Tonight was going so well! He was telling good jokes and really opening up to this wonderful woman. Lost job be damned; today was the day of Luigi! Nothing was going to put a damper on this…

Mario grabbed Luigi by the shoulder, and the younger brother was so startled that he lost grip of his coffee and spilled it down the front of his overalls. He yelped as the scalding hot coffee poured down his leg, leaping from his chair. Daisy quickly grabbed a few napkins and handed them to him. 

“Luigi, we gotta go.” 

Luigi huffed as he dabbed the coffee off of his legs. “Mario, what could be worth all the hassle? And the second-degree burns?” 

“Remember that whistle I showed you?” Mario asked. “I think I lost it at the construction site. We gotta go back and get it.” 

“Right now??” Luigi placed his hands on his hips and groaned. “Mario, come on. I’m sure we can go looking tomorrow.” 

“But who knows where it might be tomorrow. Besides, the second we show our faces after what happened today, they won’t let us take one step on the site tomorrow.” Mario slid an arm around Luigi. “All we gotta do is just hop the fence tonight, find the whistle, and then leave. You know as well as I do there’s no security at night.” He raised his eyebrows and smirked. “What do you say?” 

“Sure, but….” Luigi sighed and looked over at Daisy. She had sat and listened, her brow wrinkled in concern not just for Luigi’s hot coffee incident, but for Mario’s missing trinket. 

She shook her head and sighed, then smiled. “Why don’t you help your brother, Luigi? I’m going to be in town still for another day or so. Maybe we can catch some breakfast in the morning.” 

Luigi smiled, though admittedly he wasn’t too particularly pleased about standing up his date all because of some stupid little flute his brother had found the night before. “Thanks, Daisy.” He leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek. “Maybe I’ll get a chance to hear more about yourself.” 

Daisy cupped his cheeks and gave him a big smooch on his bulbous nose. Luigi was dumbstruck, dazed by her display of affection, while she simply laughed. “Trust me, I’ll give you the royal treatment.” She winked. 

“Great, royal treatment, big brunch in the morning.” Mario tugged Luigi along and pushed through the exit. “Now let’s go!!” 

Luigi simply gave Daisy a dumb wave as he followed Mario out, his clip-on bowtie falling off at the doorway without him even noticing. The two of them climbed aboard the scooter, and with no concern but to merge into traffic, the brothers puttered back through the streets. 

They didn’t realize then that they were about to have a date with destiny. 

* * *

The brothers drove away from the neon lights of the city, the moon hanging high in the sky as the road turned from asphalt to dirt. They puttered along, feeling every little bump along the way. The scooter’s headlight their only source of direct light, they could only drive on as it illuminated the way. 

“Do we have to do this when it’s so dark?” Luigi spoke over chattered teeth, spooked out of his mind. 

Mario was more steadfast than his cowardly little brother. “I told you. If we wait, we’ll never see it again.” The headlights finally illuminated a portion of the fence that guarded the construction site, and Mario braked until they came to a gentle stop. “Here we go.” He leapt off the bike, while Luigi cautiously slipped off. 

Mario rubbed his chin as he sized up the fence. “Okay, I think I got it. You give me a boost so I can get on top of it, then I’ll pull you up. Then we’ll just do the same thing to get out.” He nudged Luigi in the ribs. “It’ll just be like that time back in third grade when we had to get that baseball from Old Man Watchitt’s backyard.” 

Luigi rubbed the back of his neck as he got in position by the fence. “So long as you don’t leave me behind like you did back then….” He waited as Mario got a running start, and as Mario leapt onto his shoulders, Luigi jumped, boosting him up and to the top of the fence. Mario reached back, hand stretched out, while Luigi took a similar running start. It wasn’t just that Luigi was taller, but he could reach a bit higher with a jump as impressive as Mario’s. But there was just a catch to that advantage….

As Luigi reached out for Mario’s hand, he smacked against the fence. The links supporting the section of fence they were trying to climb over gave way at their support poles, and finally the section came crashing down with Mario still clinging to the top.

….Luigi was horribly clumsy. 

Mario slowly stood, crawling out from underneath the section. He looked back at Luigi, who was similarly standing from falling to the ground after missing the mark. The younger brother looked at him and chuckled sheepishly. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine. We’re in.” Mario surveyed the construction site, the ground still muddy from the day’s previous events. “Just keep your eyes peeled for that whistle. It’s shiny and gold, you can’t miss it.” 

“Got it, shiny and gold.” Luigi repeated to himself in a low murmur, as he scoured one side of the site while Mario searched the other. The brothers soon met each other on the opposite side. 

“Did you see anything?” 

“No. Did you?” 

“No.” 

Both brothers finally looked at the enormous man made pit, though with the recent flooding it now looked like it would make for a great pond for a city park. 

“It has to be down there.” Luigi tutted, then placed a hand on Mario’s shoulder. The older brother sighed, defeated. “Sorry, bro.” 

“I just wanted one little thing….” Mario sighed, head hung. His disappointment turned to aggravation; he picked up a small rock and chucked it, watching as it plopped gently into the water. “Just one little thing to go right today.” 

“Well, hey, we got tomorrow and a whole calendar full of days to make things right.” Luigi reassured him. “Come on, Mario. Let’s go home.” Luigi turned, walking back towards their parked scooter. Mario watched the waters as the ripples from the stone he threw smoothed back out, and then finally turned to follow Luigi.

Out of nowhere, however, the soft strums of a guitar filled the air. Both brothers paused and looked at each other, then looked around. Where was that music coming from? 

“I would not think that you two would give up so easily.” 

A woman’s voice from above caught them both off guard, and finally they looked up. There, sitting on the hook of a crane high above them, was a woman playing her guitar, dressed in a simple black t-shirt and a pair of skinny jeans. She looked no older than Mario, platinum blonde hair cascading down her back and over a part of her face. She looked from her guitar and stopped playing, a bright blue eye shining down to them like a star. 

“Hey!” Luigi called out, stepping forward. “What are you doing here? Y’know, you’re violating New Donk City Construction Code Regulation 1-11, rule 200.7: ‘There shall be no unauthorized personnel on the job site!’” 

The woman laughed, then watched Luigi with a soft smile. “Well, then, aren’t you both unauthorized personnel too?” 

Luigi raised a finger, but soon dropped it. He looked at Mario. “Y’know, she has a point.” 

Mario shook his head, then looked up at the stranger. “Who are you?”

The woman readjusted herself on the hook. “I’m simply a watcher.” 

“And you’ve been watching us?” 

“I watch many things.”

Mario’s hand tightened into a fist. “Oh yeah? What did you mean when you said that you thought we wouldn’t give up?” 

“I mean exactly what I said.” The woman responded. Her voice was calm, yet present, like a mother speaking to her children. “Why give up when things get a little difficult? You never know when something, or someone, might come by to lend you a hand.” She ran a hand through her hair. “And some things that were thought to be lost forever may turn up to turn the tide.” 

That’s when Mario spotted the shining gold tucked behind her ear. He pointed up at her. “My whistle!! You found it!!!”

“That I did.” She smiled and removed it from behind her ear. She carefully tossed it down to him, and he caught it in his hands. He held it tightly, and the hope he had thought he had lost was returned.

Luigi smiled and placed an arm around his shoulder. “Nice, bro! Maybe we can sell that at the pawn shop for some extra coins!” 

“I was thinking the exact same thing!” Mario beamed up at Luigi. “Okay, let’s really get home. Then we can sell this tomorrow!” 

Luigi began to walk along with Mario back to the scooter. “Yeah, and we can celebrate with a big brunch with Daisy, too!” 

“But Mario,” the woman called out, stopping the brothers once again. “Aren’t you curious about what kind of power that whistle holds?”

Mario turned and looked back up at her. He opened his hands back up, staring down at the whistle, before glancing up at the stranger. “What do you mean?” 

“For a while, you’ve felt lost, out of place in a world that not only misunderstands you, but doesn’t care to understand,” the woman spoke. “You’re waiting for a chance here in the city; a chance to prove to the world that you’re more than you seem. But that chance will never come.” 

She shifted, crossing a leg over the other. “But what if I told you that that whistle can give you that chance? That by playing that whistle, you’ll finally get the chance to prove to the world that you’re more than just a plumber.” 

Mario watched her, filled with a sense of wonder. “What am I?” 

Starlight caught her eyes as she looked at him. “A hero.” 

Mario looked down at the whistle. Was this all true? Could this stranger be correct, and this whistle could grant all of his wildest dreams? Or was she just a grifter, trying to con him out of a whistle that was worth nothing more than whatever metal it was made out of? 

“Mario?” Luigi spoke up, a bit concerned over Mario’s growing silence. 

What did he have to gain by playing the whistle? Everything! And what did he have to lose, aside from his dignity by looking like an idiot in front of this stranger and his brother? Nothing, absolutely nothing. Besides, today was already in the top five worst days in his life. What was a little embarrassment and laughter between the brothers if he looked like a fool? 

Mario brought the whistle to the lips, and as soon as he blew into it, the notes played themselves. 

_ Doo-doo-doo, do-do-dooo…… _

He lowered the whistle and waited for a long moment in uncomfortable silence. 

Nothing.

Luigi sighed. “I didn’t wanna say anything, but that was really too good to be true….” 

Then, the wind began to howl around them. The ground shook, and Luigi grabbed onto Mario’s shoulder. The woman returned to playing her guitar, undisturbed on the crane even as the ground below quaked and rumbled. The pit began to drain quickly, the water replaced with a gigantic pipe. Even in the dark of night, the brothers could see how bright green it was. 

Mario walked over to the edge of where the ground ended and the lip of the pipe began, peering down into the dark depths. He looked up to the woman sitting on the crane. “What is this?” 

“A Warp Pipe. A path to a new world.” She stopped playing. “A new chance.” 

Mario looked back down the pipe. Suddenly it didn’t feel so dark and foreboding. Just the opposite, actually. It felt warm and inviting. 

Luigi grabbed Mario’s hand. “Mario, you’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking, are you?” 

Mario exchanged a look between the pipe and his brother. “Come on, Luigi, what’s the worst that could happen?” 

This time, Luigi grabbed Mario by the shoulders and shook him. “You’ll be  _ dead _ , you idiot!!!” 

“I can assure you,” the stranger interjected. “The only death you may find beyond that pipe is whatever you bring upon yourselves.” 

Luigi’s shoulders sagged, exasperated. “What does  _ that _ mean?” 

Mario pulled away from his brother’s hands. “Luigi….she’s right. All this time, I’ve been waiting for some chance to prove myself….” he shook his head and took Luigi’s hands in his. “For some chance for  _ us  _ to prove ourselves. No matter how well we tried to fit in here, don’t you think it’s always felt like we were square pegs trying to fit into round holes?” 

Luigi didn’t care to admit it, but it was true. He and Mario were both built differently than everyone else in New Donk City. No matter how much they tried to live life in the Big Banana, they ended up feeling like a couple of second bananas. He sighed. “If I die, I’m going to haunt you for the rest of your life.”

Mario smiled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” With that, he faced the abyss, holding onto Luigi’s hand. He was ready. 

“Okay,” Luigi began, peering down the pipe. “We’ll go on the count of three. One….”

“Three!” Mario leaped, yanking Luigi down the depths with him. 

“Too soon!! Too sooooon!!!” Luigi belched out a scream, as the woman laughed softly from on high.

“So long, Mario brothers!!!” 

Luigi continued to scream, falling for what felt like hours. Mario let go if Luigi’s hand, turning his body as if he were swimming through the air as he kept a hand on his hat. The dark of the pipe gave way to a kaleidoscope of light twinkling around them, and Luigi briefly stopped screaming and instead turned to general panic. 

“Mario!! Where are we going?!” 

As if on cue, the lights coalesced off in the distance. There it was, the light at the end of the tunnel. Mario could feel the warm, inviting feeling once more. He took hold of Luigi's hand as the younger brother tried to right himself in the air. 

“We’re about to find out!!!”

They both entered the light, a bright white washing over them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New Donk City Cleared!
> 
> ...
> 
> ....What’s that? A character shouldn’t be here right now? 
> 
> Huh. How odd.....
> 
> ....Either way, this was a larger chapter than the others. Be prepared for that extra length going forward.


	12. To the Kingdom of Mushrooms

The moment of reckoning had come. 

That was all that was on Bowser’s mind as he held the axe in his claws. It had taken his troop all day to return and properly clean it from its resting place in the sewers of New Donk City, but all in all, it was worth the wait. The craftsmanship of the Koopas was on full display as he admired the weapon from handle to head; of note, the blades of the axe glowed with an ethereal dark flame.

“We MagiKoopas took the liberty of imbuing the axe with the oldest black magic known to us Koopas,” Kota spoke up. He and Kamek were both in the Koopa King’s audience, bowing before him.

“Excellent work,” he spoke to his MagiKoopas. “Today is a bright day for the Koopa Troop.” 

“Exactly my thoughts, your highness,” Kamek spoke up. He watched his lord with a mix of pride and awe. “Your father would be proud, of that there is no doubt.” 

“Yes,” Bowser mused. “But I will not fail the Koopa Troop where my father did.” His fingers tightened around the handle, preparing to swing. “I will have Gustav’s head on a pike.” 

“Now, my lord,” Kamek spoke up. “It’s best not to swing so carelessly, now.” He looked to the support columns around the room. “We would not want to cause damage to your throne room.” 

“Oh.” Bowser lowered the weapon and guffawed. “Excellent point, Kamek. Though I have to admit, I am very curious about this magic you had imbued.” 

“Allow me, my lord,” Kota spoke up. “As I said, it is the oldest magic known to the Koopas; that when the Koopa’s Axe swings true, it will bring to their foe naught but stony ruin.” 

To this, Bowser laughed once more. “Impressive!! The Mushroom Kingdom will easily fall, then.” 

“Indeed,” Kota replied. “And if our intel is correct, now is the time. The barrier around their kingdom remains intact.” 

“Meaning no help from the outside world will come,” Kamek continued. 

“This is our time,” Bowser spoke up, looking at his MagiKoopas once more. “This is my time. My father began this war, but was too farsighted in his goals. He failed to see the strength of the Mushroom Kingdom, and he died for it.” 

“But I will not underestimate Gustav. The man has surely grown weak and fat with his victory, but with this axe, I will cut his legs out from underneath him.” He bellowed out a haunting guffaw. “And when the axe comes down on him, the world will be none the wiser.” 

“Well put, my lord,” Kota praised. 

Bowser narrowed his eyes at the MagiKoopa. “Though it was you who nearly lost our means of victory in the sewers, was it not?” 

Kota gulped, adjusting his glasses nervously. “We had a very minor setback with some locals.” 

“Yes, I heard. The lives of our troop were needlessly lost because of you.” Bowser brought his axe to his side, approaching his MagiKoopa lackey with thunderous footsteps. 

Kota staggered and crawled back, and before he could offer any sort of apology or excuse, the Koopa King grabbed him off of the ground and threw him towards the doors of the throne room. 

Kota screamed, flying through the doors and landing in the hall outside. Koopas and Hammer Brother soldiers watched him in confusion until Bowser marched out of the throne room, axe held high. 

“Congratulations, my MagiKoopa servant,” he bellowed, making an example of one of his most senior troop members in front of the others. “You’ve been chosen to test this weapon’s magic.” 

Kota groaned and stood to his feet, watching the axe held high above Bowser’s head. “Wait, my lord! I can still be of use despite my failure!” He looked to Kamek, who watched from the door of the throne room, a sly grin on his reptilian face. “Master MagiKoopa, please—”

Bowser swung the axe, and a wave of dark fire spread out. Kota reeled from the dark energy with a scream, as his entire form turned completely to stone, his face eternally twisted in fear. 

Bowser brought the weapon to his side and looked to his soldiers, who had watched the whole act in stunned silence. “Heed me, Koopa Troop! We march for the Mushroom Kingdom! There we will overthrow their king and turn all of those who oppose us to stone!!” 

He held the axe above his head. 

“To war!!”

The troops raised their weapons and pumped their fists to the sky. “To war!!! To war!!” 

Bowser grinned and turned to Kamek. “Prepare the Doomship.”

“The Doomship?” Kamek adjusted his glasses and cackled. “Why, my lord, that’s brilliant. What a better maiden voyage for our new airship than a trip to the Mushroom Kingdom?” He walked around Bowser, hands hidden in his robes. “I shall see to it that we are prepared to lift off.” 

As Kamek walked off, Bowser stood before his troops as they made their preparations, chanting their king’s statement. 

The moment of reckoning had come.   
  


* * *

Mario slowly opened his eyes as the sun shone down on him. He held a hand up to shield his eyes as he sat up, then looked over to Luigi, laying face down in the grass beside him. The elder brother panicked, fearing that his brother was unconscious or worse, but as he flipped him over, his nerves were put at ease. Luigi snored loudly, letting out the deep breath in a whistle; thankfully, he was only asleep. Mario stood, looking around to survey just where in the world that Warp Pipe took him. 

And as he took in the sight, Mario’s eyes widened in wonder. 

Grassy plains stretched out, and in the far-off distance laid tall mountains and thick forests. But dotted across the plains were mushrooms of all shapes and sizes. Even more mystifying were the blocks of brick and blocks of metal, a question mark stamped on all four sides, hanging lazily in the air just begging to be hit with a leaping punch, as well as pipes of different colors, similar to the Warp Pipe that had sent the brothers to this place, scattered about and jutting from the ground.

And not so far off in the distance was a castle, its ivory stonework and red roof standing out among the plains. It even looked like there was some small village or town of some sort around the castle. It may not have been as impressive as the city to some, but to Mario, there was something charming about this strange, beautiful land. Something….

….familiar? 

Mario couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

He looked back down at his slumbering brother, and nudged him in the side with his foot. “Luigi, get up.” He rolled his eyes as Luigi snored loudly, and then finally bent back down beside him, shaking him by the shoulder. “Come on, lazy. Wake up!!”

Luigi awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright. “Quit shooting those eggs at me!!” He blinked and looked over at Mario. “Oh, whew. You would not believe the craziest dream I had Mario….” He slowly looked around, waking up to his surroundings. “Wait….where’s the construction site?” 

“No idea, but….” Mario stood, taking in his surroundings. “We’re definitely not in New Donk City any more.” 

Luigi soon joined in, just as awestruck by the scenery as Mario was. He let out a low whistle. “Golly, it sure is pretty.” He held a hand over his eyes as he stared off in the distance. “Is that a castle?” 

“Yup. I don’t even think we’re in the Metro Kingdom any more.” 

“Then where the heck are we?” Luigi sighed. “Something about this doesn’t sit right with me, Mario.” 

Mario smiled and slapped Luigi on the back. “Well, we’ll never get anywhere by just standing around and gawping.” He walked ahead, down the grassy knoll and through the dale ahead. “Come on, Weegee.” 

Luigi watched him press on, stammering out the beginnings of an objection, but sighed and soon fell in line behind his older brother. 

The brothers walked across the wide valleys and rolling hills, occasionally stopping to leap and break the brick blocks that floated in place overhead. Luigi stopped after hitting one particular block and walked over to Mario with an excited smile. “Look, Mario!” He opened his hand and revealed a collection of gold coins. “There’s coins in some of these blocks!!” 

Mario picked the coin up and examined it. “These can be spent in New Donk.” 

“Mario, this is like a dream come true,” Luigi said, holding the coin close to his chest. “Are you sure we didn’t die and go to some sort of coin heaven?” 

Mario laughed and shook his head, walking on. He spotted a pipe jutting out from the ground nearby and walked over, leaping up and hanging from its edge, peering down into it. “I’m still wondering that myself!” 

“What do you think that crazy lady meant by all that back in the city?” Luigi asked, following behind. “All that talk of chances and being heroes….” 

“I really don’t know….” Mario sighed. He thought back through the events of the last couple of days, of how he came to get that whistle. Surely that little wish upon a star didn’t do all of this, did it? 

His thoughts were interrupted as a set of teeth lunged from the pipe and nipped the end of his nose. He fell backwards with a yelp and onto the ground and looked up at his attacker. It was a plant, with a bulbous red head with white polka dots. Its white lips stretched wide, baring its teeth with a grin, hanging low towards the brothers on a thin green stalk before finally disappearing back down the depths of the pipe. 

Luigi quickly moved to Mario’s side and helped him out. “Are you okay??” 

“Yeah. It just smarts,” Mario grumbled, rubbing the sore spot on his nose. “Guess this isn’t exactly like heaven.” 

Luigi looked to the distance, pointing onwards. “Look, we’re not too far from a town. Maybe the locals can tell us where we are.” 

Mario groused under his voice before glaring at the pipe. “So long as there aren’t any more overgrown petunias trying to kill us.” 

The plant hissed from deep within the pipe. 

Luigi pressed on, with Mario following. It wasn’t long before the brothers approached the village, a sign hanging above the entrance. 

“Toad Town,” Luigi read aloud, “capital of the Mushroom Kingdom.” 

“Wait, the Mushroom Kingdom?” Mario asked. “The one from the fairy tales?” The brothers looked at each other. 

“Are you really sure we didn’t die?” 

“Shut up, Luigi.” Mario walked ahead. 

“I’m not joking this time, Mario!!”

The brothers ventured forth into town. The simple looking cottages and houses, the brick road leading to a beautiful fountain in the center of town….all of it had the makings of the quaintest town Mario and Luigi had ever visited. 

But the vistas weren’t the only thing that caught their eye. All around them were the Mushroom People from the fairy tales, each one sporting a large mushroom cap of varying colors. Some had braid-like mushroom balls dangling on either side of their head; others sported a lock of hair growing out from underneath their cap and hanging in front of their face. Some were short and stocky, while others were thin and tall.... but not as tall as Luigi. 

The brothers couldn’t help but stare, while becoming similarly unnerved as the Mushroom People who stared back at them with confusion. Even as they wandered through town, those who took notice backed away from the brothers, their voices loud enough for them to hear. 

“Where did these guys come from?” 

“There’s no one else like them in the kingdom, besides the princess…” 

“Are they bad guys, mommy?” 

Luigi stood behind Mario for cover, hand on his shoulders. “N-No buddy, we aren’t bad guys!” He looked down at Mario. “Right, Mario? We aren’t bad guys, right?”    
  


“Stop, thief!!” 

The brothers turned, just as one of the mushroom people bowled them over. The Toad stood quickly, throwing a large burlap sack back over his shoulder. 

“Thanks for the slowdown, you goons,” the Toad announced, turning to face the approaching guards with a wide grin and a salute. “Later, suckers! Give my all to the princess!!” Finally, he bounded down the street, disappearing into the shocked crowd. 

Mario and Luigi slowly stood up. “What was  _ that _ all about?” The elder brother asked, dusting himself off. 

The younger brother tapped him on the shoulder. “Uh, Mario? I think we’ve got trouble…” 

Mario looked over his shoulder as several Toads approached him, each one clad in a robe of a different color than the other and carrying spears. “Halt, you there!” The one in red spoke. 

“Yeah, we’re halted,” Mario responded. 

“Who are you two? Where did you come from?” 

The brothers looked at each other, as if trying to read each other’s mind on how to answer. Finally Mario crossed his arms. “Who wants to know?” 

“On behalf of the Crown of the Mushroom Kingdom, outsiders are forbidden from entering the country. Now, out with it.” 

“Fine,” Luigi sighed. “We’re from New Donk City.” 

The Toad guards looked at each other, murmuring among each other. Finally, the red guard fixed his gaze on them. “How did you get here?” 

“We don’t know—”

“What? Yes we do!” Mario shot Luigi a look, then back at the Toad. “We found a Warp Pipe by playing a flute.” 

The crowd around them overheard this, exploding into gossip among themselves. The Toad guards were caught up into this as well, before the red guard gathered his squad.

“You,” he spoke to his guard in yellow, “continue the search for Kinopio. Make sure he doesn’t leave the outskirts of town.” As the yellow guard nodded and moved through the crowd, the red Toad turned to his guard in blue. “Head to the castle and inform the princess of what’s going on.” The blue Toad nodded and rushed off in the direction of the castle.

“As for you two,” the red guard addressed the brothers, lowering his spear towards them. His remaining two guards followed suit. “You’ll be coming with us.” 

“What??” Luigi watched as the guards flanked them on each side. “Wait, listen, we just need to try to go back home!” 

“I’m sure,” the red Toad responded, prodding Mario gently in the side with his spear. “Get moving, the both of you!” 

Mario flinched from the stab. “Hey, watch it!!” He huffed and walked along with Luigi, guided by the guards. 


	13. In the Court of the Toadstool Princess

Peach sighed as she sat down at her seat at the head of the round meeting table. Joined with her were Toadette, her father’s stuffy steward and ruling regent Toadsworth, and six other Toad advisors and retainers that talked amongst themselves before the meeting began. 

Peach didn’t like these meetings. It wasn’t that it was bad to be informed of events going on around the kingdom, it was the fact that there were hardly any noteworthy events in a kingdom that was closed off to the rest of the world. Given that all of the retainers were together, however, gave her some hope; everyone only assembled like this once a year, and that usually meant a bit more news than usual.

Toadsworth stood from his seat at Peach’s right hand, organizing the loose collection of papers in his hand against the table before he cleared his throat, capturing the attention of everyone as they silenced themselves. He was an older Toad, bearing a tan mushroom cap with brown spots and sporting a blue button-up vest underneath a purple jacket, complete with a simple red bowtie. But like all other Toads, he was short and stubby. 

“Now then, seeing as how we’re all assembled together, let’s begin,” he spoke up, his voice stately. “Welcome again to all of the retainers. Let’s start with recognition of everyone present.” He brushed his fingers along his greying mustache. “As always, we have her highness, Princess Peach, elegant as ever!”

Peach bowed her head and smiled, waving to everyone around the table. As Toadsworth continued listing off names and introducing the small group however, she found herself zoning out. Toadsworth was nice, and he had served the kingdom for more than thirty years, but he was so hard to follow. She did what she could to listen well to what he had to say, especially when it came to official duties and how to rule, but try as she might, she found herself mentally checking out more often than not. 

“.....and last but not least, also with us today is Toadbert, Retainer of Public Relations.” Finally, Toadsworth finished introductions after several long minutes. “Now, onto business.” He glanced down to his papers, letting his tiny glasses scoot to the edge of his nose. “We have been preparing for the coronation of Princess Peach to the throne, coming up this Thursday, the 12th. This is a very important moment for the Mushroom Kingdom, following the tragic passing of King Gus earlier this year.” Toadsworth looked over to the princess with a gleam in his eye. “My dear, let me just say that both your father and your mother would be very proud of you.” 

The retainers all joined in in agreement, while Peach solemnly nodded. “Thank you, truly. This has all been possible not just with the hard work of everyone here today, but with all of the Toads of Toad Town and throughout the kingdom as well.” 

Toadsworth chortled. “Well! What very kind thoughts, your highness. I have no doubts you will fill your father’s shoes and lead this kingdom fairly.” 

Peach nodded, but a niggling thought played at the back of her mind. Could she truly? Her father ended the war with the Koopas, closed the Warp Zones to and from the kingdom and its neighbors, and hid themselves away. It was such an impressive legacy, for better or for worse, that her mind reeled just trying to imagine living up to it. 

“Following the coronation,” Toadsworth continued, “the princess, the retainers and I will be reciting the spell to keep our barriers up in our kingdom and to keep the Warp Zones sealed, per our yearly tradition. As we all know, this spell is placed by us seven Royal Retainers and the ruler of the kingdom, so that no one person can dispel the barriers or break the seal.” He placed his papers down on the table. “And as is customary, we must ensure that we are all in agreement to perform this spell. All in favor? Aye!”

The ayes echoed around the table, save for Peach. She began to speak, yet stopped as Toadette raised her hand. 

“Lady Toadette,” Toadsworth shook his head. “My apologies, but your presence in reciting the spell is not necessary this year.” 

“No, I know,” Toadette responded. “I just had a question.” She stood from her seat, standing opposite Toadsworth at Peach’s left hand. “Why are we doing this?” 

The retainers mumbled to themselves, as Toadsworth chortled. “My word! Why, I would believe you would know as well as the youngest Toad would, that the reason for the spell is to keep invaders away from exploiting the Mushroom Kingdom for its resources and the Warp Zones!” 

“Well,  _ yeah,  _ I know  _ that,”  _ Toadette emphasized her words. “I mean, why though?” She gathered up her own pile of papers and mulled them over. “I’ve gathered some information based off of polls and studies done within Toad Town, and the consensus seems to be that they are in support of dropping the barrier around the kingdom.” 

“Poppycock,” Toadsworth interjected. “Why, that would open us up to an attack on the Koopas, should they desire to attack.” 

“That’s true,” Toadette spoke as she turned the page on her stapled papers. “But in that same study, only a very small number of Toads believed that this would open us up to an attack.” 

The retainers began to discuss among themselves with this new information. However, Toadsworth became indignant. “Now, see here. I will not allow this discourse any longer! No matter the short-term benefit to dispelling the barrier, the endgame would leave us open to attack that we may never recover from.” 

“Would it really?” 

All eyes fell on Princess Peach as she spoke up. She looked around the table, then leaned forward, hands clasped together. “I admire your noble commitment to tradition, Toadsworth, but the truth is that this all flies in the face of who we serve: the people. Besides, the world is a different place than it was years ago.” 

She thought briefly of the correspondence she would send out in secret, to a pen pal from the outside world. Ever since she was a teenager, her magical power as a member of the royal family began to manifest, and she would use that power to cut a brief hole in the barrier and send letters in a bottle, across the Great Sea. To her surprise, she would get letters in return from the far-off kingdom of Sarasaland, learning of the outside world. It was a friendship that she hoped to build on in-person, and it seemed like her pen pal felt the same….

Peach shoved her thoughts aside as she continued. “Are we truly better off cut off from everyone else, or are we better served in opening up and reforming communications and relationships with the other kingdoms of the world?” 

The retainers seemed to nod in agreement, while Toadsworth glowered at Toadette; the princess’ advisor fist pumped, happy to be backed up by the princess. “Your highness, please! Surrender to reason!” Toadsworth spoke up. “We cannot simply open ourselves up in this manner.” His brow furrowed. “And what would you know of the outside world?” 

Peach nearly paled, her eyes going wide. She wasn’t about to reveal the identity of her secret pen pal to Toadsworth; he was overbearing, and if he found out, he would have exploded into a tirade of lectures. “Oh, well,” Peach flustered. “It’s simply just a guess.” 

Toadsworth huffed and looked back to the retainers. “I maintain my position, and I would hope you all would do the same. Are we so quick to forget the loss of life years ago, when the Koopas caught us by surprise?” He looked at Peach. “And are we so quick to forget that it was your mother among those lost?” 

How could she forget? She was incredibly young when it happened, but she remembered her father mourning yearly over the loss of Queen Amanita, one of the many lost in the first strike the Koopas struck in the war. Peach sat back in her chair and sighed, shoulders sagging. This was her moment to shine as the future ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, yet her emotions got the best of her. “No,” she spoke quietly. “No, I have never forgotten.” 

Toadette sighed, slumping down into her seat, while Toadsworth twirled the end of his mustache. “Aside from that slight distraction, we all seem agreed—”

“Wait,” Toadette sat forward, hands slamming the table. “Her highness hasn’t voted yet!”

Again, all eyes fell on Princess Peach, while she looked around the room. She took a deep breath, when the doors of the room were thrown open. In walked a Toad guard, his bulbous mushroom cap a bright white with blue spots while his stubby body was wrapped in a large blue cloak, a polearm in his grasp.

“My word! What is the meaning of this?” Toadsworth huffed. 

“Sorry for the interruption, but….” The guard paused as he tried to formulate his thoughts. “We have a bit of a disturbance.” 

The retainers exploded into hushed concern. Both Toadsworth and Toadette shared a worried look, but the entire room went silent as the princess stood from her seat. 

“What kind of disturbance?”  
  


* * *

  
Mario and Luigi were ushered along by the Toad guards, passing along a drawbridge and through the gate to the castle grounds. Surrounded by ramparts of stone as white as the castle itself, the grounds around the castle were beautiful, with flowers and trees creating a landscape that truly felt royal. 

Mario looked up above the entrance of the castle, a stained glass portrait of a star staring down at him. Where had he seen that before? He was sure he had seen something similar to it, possibly in a dream. His thoughts were quickly interrupted as the large wooden double doors were opened and the brothers were shepherded inside. 

The interior of the castle was brightly lit; in addition to windows with sheer curtains and sconces illuminated by large candles, brilliant glass chandeliers lined the ceiling along the hall. The walls were painted a pleasing light blue, smattered with white to give the impression of a sunny day with rolling clouds. The floors were checkered with ebony and ivory marble tiles peeking out under plush carpet aisle runners. 

The hall eventually opened up to a wide chamber, with stairways leading to other parts of the castle. In the middle of the room was a mosaic tile mural of the sun, and it was on here that the guards let the brothers halt. 

“Wait here until the princess arrives,” one guard ordered. 

Luigi tugged at his collar and leaned over to Mario. “Jeez, you think this princess is as stuffy as these mushroom guys?” 

“Probably,” Mario groused. “And probably just as beady-eyed and stumpy, too.” Luigi snickered under his breath with him. They were soon silenced, as the double doors at the top of the tallest set of stairs were opened. Out walked two more Toad guards, followed by an older looking mushroom gentleman with a cane in hand and a mushroom girl in pink. 

The old Toad cleared his throat. “As Regent of the Mushroom Kingdom, it is my esteemed pleasure that I, Toadsworth, introduce her highness, Princess Peach Toadstool!” 

The Mario brothers glanced at the mushroom girl, both believing her to be the princess in question, but then someone else stepped through the doorway. 

The woman looked human like the brothers, to their surprise. She was tall and beautiful, a small tiara sitting on golden hair flowing past her shoulders and down her back. Her blue eyes were vibrant, her pink lipstick complementing her flawlessly fair skin. Dressed in a pink gown and white satin gloves, she had a blue brooch attached to the chest of her dress, matching the large blue earrings she wore. 

Mario couldn’t help but stare, a blush crossing his cheeks as she seemed to notice his gaze. She smiled softly at him; he looked down. Luigi noticed this and gently elbowed him in the side, a grin stretched across his face. Mario glared at him from the corner of his eye and nudged back.

“I welcome you both to the Mushroom Kingdom,” Peach spoke, her voice soft and warm. “Though I wish this moment was not met with as much skepticism as it is; I’m told you both are outsiders to the kingdom.” 

Mario focused on her voice, wondering how well she could sing, maybe even with the accompaniment of some big band….

….why exactly was it so hot all of a sudden? He removed his hat, holding it to his chest. This wasn’t a good time for him to start catching feelings, especially hot off the heels of his break-up with Pauline. She was a princess, for crying out loud! What was he? Other than a failure of a plumber, he was also an intruder. 

Luigi noticed his brother remove his cap, and in turn he did the same. “We’re sorry, your, uhm, highness. It’s just that, well….as hard as it may seem to believe, we didn’t mean to be here.” 

“If I may interject,” Toadsworth spoke up, adjusting his glasses. “Where exactly is it that you fellows came from, hm?” 

“We came from the city,” Mario spoke up. “New Donk City, and—”

“New Donk City?” Peach interrupted, her eyes lighting up. She descended down the stairs, to the shock of Toadsworth and Toadette, approaching Mario. “What is the city like? Is it as beautiful as the books say it is?” 

Mario watched her beam down at him with excitement. His cheeks burned even hotter. “Well….it…..it has a lot of skyscrapers.” 

“And cars, a ton of cars,” Luigi piped up. 

“Cars!” Peach squealed. “I’ve heard of those! We have go-karts, but we only use those for special sporting events.” She turned and looked up at Toadette, giddy with excitement. The Toad girl seemed to share her enthusiasm, while Toadsworth merely cleared his throat. 

“Ignoring the princess’s rather embarrassing outburst,” he chided. Peach caught herself, a blush crossing her face as she took a step back in shame. “I am still perplexed as to how two natives of New Donk City managed to find themselves all the way here. It’s not as if you can just swim all the way here.” 

Princess Peach looked to the brothers. “Can you tell us how you managed to come all this way?” 

“Absolutely,” Mario spoke up. “I found a magic whistle, and when I played it, this huge pipe erupted out of the ground. We jumped down into it, and we found ourselves here.” 

The guards murmured to themselves. Peach and Toadette exchanged a quick glance, while Toadsworth stroked his mustache in thought. “Peculiar,” he mumbled. 

“Toadsworth, I think I know about this whistle.” Toadette spoke up. “I’ve spent a lot of time in the library, and the history books mention ancient Mushroom artifacts called Warp Whistles.” 

“I remember learning about those, too,” Peach commented. 

“Hm, yes, quite. But that does not answer how these two ruffians managed to get their hands on one.” 

“Ruffians?” Luigi sighed. “You know, I don’t know either.” All eyes fell on Mario. “Bro? You found it, didn’t you?” 

“Yeah, I did,” Mario responded. He scratched the back of his head and placed his cap back on it. “This is going to sound even crazier, but….the other night, there was this shooting star, and…..” 

“You wished on it,” Peach spoke up. The two looked at each other for a long moment. “Didn’t you?” 

“Y-Yeah. And then I found it sitting on my window sill….”

Luigi smacked his forehead as the guards continued to mumble to themselves, this time in more accusatory tones. “Oh, Mario….”

“Silence, all of you!” Toadsworth spoke up. “Now see here, I will not have you all make up merry stories in the presence of the princess.” He raised his hand, shooing them away. “Take them to the dungeons!” 

“Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me….” Luigi grumbled as the Toad guards began to escort them away. “Mario, do something!” 

“I’m telling you,” Mario resisted, struggling against the push of the guards. “That’s how it happened!! You’ve gotta believe me!” He looked to the princess before he and Luigi disappeared down the hall. 

Peach huffed out a sigh and glared up at Toadsworth. “That was absolutely uncalled for. We didn’t even properly hear them out!” 

“Your highness,” Toadsworth shook his head. “They were two thieves merely peddling a story. And you bought it.” He turned and walked back to the door. “What would dear old Gus think?” 

As Toadsworth left, Peach’s shoulders fell. Toadette descended the stairs and snuck a hand into one of her fists, holding it. “Hey, don’t let that blowhard get to you.”

“I’m trying,” Peach choked, dabbing her eyes with the back of her hand. “I’m really trying, Toadette. How am I going to be a fair ruler if he keeps stopping me from listening and reaching out?” 

“Well first, you need to stop crying. Look at me,” Toadette reached up on her tiptoes. Peach bent down, as the Toad girl placed her hands on her cheeks. “You believe that guy back there, don’t you?” 

Peach nodded, slowly gaining composure. 

“Sometimes the best thing a royal can do is break a few rules,” Toadette grinned, letting go of her face and taking the princess’s hand. “Come on.” 

Peach slowly followed, her frown exchanged with a curious smile. “Where are we going?” 

Toadette looked back with a wider grin. “Where else? To the dungeon.”   
  


* * *

Down the halls they went, the castle walls becoming a maze to those who weren’t accustomed to the layout. Fortunately for Peach and Toadette, having lived in the castle their entire lives, they knew it like the backs of their hands. 

The sunny-sky walls stopped abruptly at a certain point as they descended downstairs, the walls stony white as they traversed into the dank basement floors. 

But all the while, Peach’s heart was racing with excitement. Regardless the danger Toadsworth may have deemed they posed, there were two outsiders here in the Mushroom Kingdom! Something had brought them here: a Warp Whistle, if the man in red’s story was to be believed. She  _ did _ believe it; she always believed in the power of the stars, and how fitting was it that this chance encounter only happened with a wish upon a star? 

Toadette stopped and grabbed the princess’s hand, pulling her into a small alcove. Peach began to speak, but the girl brought a finger up to her lips. “Shhh!!!” 

They peeked carefully around the corner, watching as the Toad guards that had escorted the brothers to the dungeon marched down the hall, their mission complete. The girls hid in the shadows as the guards passed, and when they finally disappeared from view, they giggled to themselves.

“Come on,” Toadette whispered. “Let’s go find our ruffians.” 

Peach laughed. “Whatever you say, Toadsworth.” 

Down the hall they continued, a voice faintly echoing, growing louder as they approached the open doorway to the dungeons.

“.....and we’ll die here, and they’ll have to pick our clothes off of our decaying carcasses, and that’ll be the end of us both.” 

Peach and Toadette stepped into the dungeon, a series of iron cells on the far wall, and in the cell straight ahead were the outsiders. The man in green was the one who had been talking, reclining on the small cot with his hat over his eyes. Peach’s focus turned then to the man in red, sitting on the floor next to the cell door, his back to them. 

“Never you fear, ruffians!” Toadette declared. The brothers jumped a bit at the sound of her voice, the man in green sitting completely up and adjusting his hat while the man in red turned and sat up on his knees. 

“Great,” the man in green said. “Are you here to take us to the guillotine?”

Toadette rolled her eyes. “Yeah, and then we’re gonna stuff your severed heads in a ? Block.” The man in green sneered, placing a hand on his neck.

Peach stepped forward, bending down beside the man red, the iron bars keeping them separated. She looked into his eyes and smiled. “We came because of how you were treated back there.” She glanced quickly to the man in green. “I apologize for Toadsworth’s behavior, truly.” 

“It’s okay,” the man in red spoke up. 

“No, it’s really not.” 

“Shut up, Luigi.” 

Peach giggled. “So your name is Luigi,” she pointed to the man in green. “And you are…” 

“Mario.” The man in red smiled, stretching a hand out to her through the iron bars. 

She took it gently in hers. It felt so big and strong…..she shook it and let go, before she held onto it for too long for comfort. “Listen, I truly mean what I say. It wasn’t right for him to not hear you both out more.” 

“Well, it actually was in his right.” Toadette spoke up. Peach looked back at her with a pout, while the Toad girl merely raised her hands in defense. “I mean, he is technically the real ruler right now.” 

Peach huffed. “That doesn’t mean he can take the reins over every decision! You know this was supposed to be a time where I made decisions along with him….” 

“Sounds like you’ve got a lot on your plate,” Mario said. He was leaning on his arms, listening to her intently. 

A blush crossed her cheeks. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to vent like that in front of you both.” She placed a hand on the bars, sitting as face-to-face with Mario as the cell would allow them. “I’m very interested in your story about your whistle.” 

“You believe me?” Mario’s face turned a slight shade of red. 

Peach nodded. “Stars are very important to us in the Mushroom Kingdom. High in the heavens above, they hear our wishes, and if it’s a good and true wish, it will surely come true.” She placed a hand over her brooch. “My father always told me that.” 

Mario smiled. “Sounds like your pop was a good guy.” He looked back at Luigi. “Ours would always tell us to quit jumping on the sofa.” 

“No, that was just you, running around and pretending you were Dirk Drain-Head,” Luigi commented. 

Peach giggled. “Thank you….” She sighed, her hand closing into a fist. “It’s….hard, to not have him here. His mind just wasn’t as sharp as it used to be, and….” She trailed off, but the brothers got the message loud and clear as they looked between each other with concern.

“I’m sorry, your highness.” Mario placed a hand on hers.

She looked at him and smiled, before she shook her head. “I am so….so sorry, I keep going off on these tangents.” She looked at Mario earnestly. “You mentioned the magic whistle. Do you still happen to have it? I believe you, but….” 

“You just wanna know if these guys are the real deal, don’t you?” Toadette asked. 

“Honestly, that’s fair.” Luigi got up and approached Mario. The elder brother nodded and stood, digging through his pockets….then he pat himself down, a worried look stretching across his face. 

“Oh, no.” Luigi shook his head. “No no no no. Don’t do this again.” 

“I’m not doing anything this time!!” Mario’s shoulders sagged. “I really don’t have it this time.” 

Luigi slapped the back of Mario’s head. “Come on, you palooka!! This isn’t the time for jokes! And we can’t go back to any construction site to see if you dropped it. Again.” 

Mario rubbed the back of his head. “Luigi, I’m serious. It’s not here.” He sighed, falling back to the floor. “Why can’t anything go right?” 

Peach frowned, hand placed on the bar of the cell. “Mario….it’s okay.” He looked up at her, placing his hands beside hers as he scooted closer to the bars. 

“Really?” 

“Really. We’ll find another way to prove your innocence. I promise.” 

They both looked at one another, her smile infecting him. His fingers slowly inched towards her hand, and hers did the same….   
  


The entire castle rumbled. Toadette yelped, falling back on her rear. Luigi grabbed Mario’s shoulder, while Mario and Peach held tightly onto the cell bars. The large earthquake ceased, but was soon followed by smaller rumbles. 

“W-What’s all that about?” Luigi cried. 

“I dunno,” Toadette stood. She took the princess’s hand. “But we should get out of here!” 

Peach looked to her, then back at Mario and Luigi. She noticed the cell door slightly ajar; the earthquake must have jostled it. Was it enough to free them? She moved to the door and pulled, grunting, until finally she threw it open. 

The brothers blinked and looked at each other, then looked at her. “Come on!” She huffed. “We’re leaving together!” 

Mario and Luigi both nodded. Luigi stopped and nudged Mario. “This princess is something else, huh?” He mumbled. 

Mario rolled his eyes and shoved back. “Get going.” The two fell in line behind Peach and Toadette, the girls leading the way through the basement tunnels and back to the light of day. 

If only they knew what would await them upstairs…..


	14. Attack of the Doomship

The skies of Toad Town had darkened, but not by any overcast clouds. The Toads looked up in confusion and horror to the sight of the giant airship looming towards them. It was iron-plated, black as a moonless night, the head of a horned beast with glowing red eyes serving as the figurehead on the ship’s bow.

And it was this same horned beast that stood on the main deck, holding his axe tightly, a purple cape draped over his shoulders and down his spiked shell. 

“Lord Bowser!” A Koopa minion approached him with a salute. “The Bill Blasters are ready to fire.” 

A grin stretched across Bowser’s muzzle. “Excellent. Fire at will!” 

The Koopa turned and faced his comrades. “You heard him! Fire!!” 

The Toads below watched as the cannons mounted along the ship fired out large bullets with angry eyes and balled fists. These Bullet Bills whistled down to the ground below and collided in a fiery explosion, rocketing into houses and businesses and knocking down or knocking out the panicked citizens caught in the crossfire. 

The relentless bulletstorm came in waves that didn’t seem to cease, but as Bowser approached the bow of the ship, the Bullet Bills temporarily stopped raining their terror upon the Toads. Bowser raised his axe to the side, and swiped down to the land below. The ensuing wave of black magic caught those still reeling from the cannon fire, their bodies quickly turning to stone. 

“Impressive, Lord Bowser!!” Kamek chimed in from behind, riding his magic broomstick. “It was as if you were born to swing that axe.” 

As the Koopa Troop resumed their Bullet Bull bombardment upon Toad Town,Bowser’s gaze was set upon the ivory castle, not far away. “I’ll do more than just swing, Kamek.” He pointed his axe towards the castle. “I will cleave Gustav’s head with it!!” 

* * *

The group had just stepped back upstairs, Toadette and the Mario brothers scrambling ahead. Peach fell in line behind the trio, pausing briefly to glance at a portrait of her father hanging in the hall. 

What would her father think of all of this? Was she really doing the right thing, to stand in direct opposition of keeping the kingdom closed? To become friendly with intruders of the kingdom and allow them to escape? She hurried along, thankful Toadsworth wasn’t here to witness everything….

“Why, what is all of this about??” 

The group stopped as they entered the main hall, looking up the stairwell as the door above closed behind Toadsworth. The princess cursed herself under her breath; shouldn’t have thought so soon….

“What is the meaning of this?! I had explicitly ordered these hooligans off to the dungeons!” He wagged a finger at the group as they approached the stairs.

“Yeah, well,” Toadette replied, “that was a pretty bad decision.” 

“Toadsworth, what’s going on? What was that earthquake?” Peach asked. 

“That was what I had come to find you for,” the old Toad answered. He pushed the doors open behind him. “You must see for yourself. Come!” 

The brothers fell in line behind Toadette and the princess, silent as Peach led the group and followed closely behind Toadsworth down the second floor hallway.

“This is absolutely unthinkable,” Toadsworth mumbled to her. “Once we deal with this new issue, I will have many words about this little jailbreaking escapade.” 

Peach’s shoulders tensed as they approached the balcony. She threw the glass doors open, walking out onto the balcony to survey the town in the distance. She wasn’t prepared to witness the destruction that was unfolding before her eyes. 

The town was on fire, explosions rocking nearby buildings. The shrieks and screams of the Toads could be heard as close as the castle grounds, as even the stalwart guards themselves began to panic. 

And floating menacingly in the sky was the Doomship that had rained its terror upon the unsuspecting kingdom. Waves of dark energy were sent forth from the accursed airship along with the scores of Bullet Bill fire, as its propellers churned through the sky and towards the castle. 

Luigi looked at Mario, hands shaking as he held onto the balcony’s rails. “Mama mia….” 

Toadette looked at the princess. “Your highness?”

Peach was frozen with fear, not simply by the airship attack, but by who stood at the ship’s bow, bringing his frightful magic down upon the Toads with the swing of his axe. She had seen him in her dreams, of the beast that devoured her in fire.

“It’s him,” Peach whispered, “the monster.” 

The group watched in stunned silence as the airship sailed over Toad Town and past the castle ramparts. In silence, except for Toadsworth. 

“I tried to warn you!” He scolded, wagging his cane up at the princess. He glared at the Mario brothers. “These fools are undoubtedly spies of the Koopa Troop.” 

“What?!” Mario snapped, turning to Toadsworth with a glare. 

“Here to lower our guard just so they can cut us down in one fell swoop!!” 

“Why you…” Mario stepped forward, but was pulled back by the shoulders by Luigi. 

“For your information, this isn't the first time we’ve dealt with Koopas,” Luigi quipped. He pointed to the airship, at the monster. “Mario, look. Isn’t that—”

Mario followed Luigi’s gaze, staring at the monster’s weapon with wide eyes. “The axe.” He looked at Luigi. “It’s the axe from the sewers!!” 

“Mario….” Luigi placed trembling hands on his shoulders. “What’s going on??” 

Mario didn’t know how to answer. This felt like some arcade game back at Stanley’s, or more like it was some crazy dream, and he was beginning to wonder if it was just that. But as Luigi turned him to face the airship as it approached them, the reality of the situation hit him again. 

This wasn’t a dream. This wasn’t a game.

The airship drew close, threatening to plow directly into the castle, until it finally stopped, hovering in place. The monster clambered towards the edge of the bow, staring down at the group on the balcony with a large grin. 

“I’ve come for King Gustav,” the beast snarled, steam escaping from its nostrils. “If you value your lives, you’ll tell me where the coward is.” 

“You ruffian!!” Toadsworth called out. “You don’t scare me!!” He tugged at the handle of his cane, a sharp blade erupting from the wooden shaft. “I shan’t allow you to harm the Mushroom Kingdom so long as I act as its regent!” He cried, sword held ready to strike. “What kind of monster dares to trespass our barrier??” 

The monster grinned, gripping its axe. “That pathetic barrier means nothing to us masters of the dark arts. I am Bowser, King of the Koopas.” He raised the weapon over his head. “I commend you for doing better than most….” 

Bowser grunted, swinging the axe down. A wave of black magic hurtled towards the balcony, directly towards the royals. Toadette clung to Peach, waiting for the final seconds….

…..when Mario and Luigi yanked them both to the side, out of the path and onto the floor of the balcony. Toadsworth, however, stood frozen in fear, sword still drawn. Stone replaced the look of fear, and soon the old Toad was nothing more than a statue. 

“It’s just too bad that even your best is not even worthy of my might.” Bowser guffawed.

“Toadsworth!!” Toadette leapt from Peach’s arms and to Toadsworth’s petrified side. 

Peach’s entire world seemed to blur as she stared at her father’s advisor, now nothing more than a balcony ornament. The fact that that could have been her and Toadette made her legs go limp. 

She looked at Mario and Luigi as they helped her to her feet, her vision fuzzy from the tears accumulating in her eyes. What were they to do?

“Now, I won’t ask again,” Bowser snarled. “Hand over the king!” 

Peach moved forward as she found the strength in her knees, wiping the tears away with the back of her hand. She stared Bowser down as he tensed, a visible vein on the back of his scaly hands as he gripped the axe tighter. 

“I am Princess Peach Toadstool, daughter of King Gustav. I cannot provide what you’re demanding,” she spoke out, her voice shaking. Staring down this Bowser, the monster in her dreams….it made her stomach churn. 

Bowser sneered, lowering his axe. “And why is that, princess?” 

“Because he’s dead, you fool!” Peach shouted. She hiccuped her emotions, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth. 

“Dead?!” 

Both Bowser and Kamek looked at each other, the Koopa King silently seething as evidenced by the heat accumulating behind his clenched teeth. Finally he glared back down at the princess. 

“One moment.” Bowser turned his back to the group on the balcony with a flair of his cape and moved away from the bow.

Luigi looked over to Mario. “What do you think’s gonna happen??”

The elder brother looked over at the statue formerly known as Toadsworth. “I don’t know, Luigi.” He watched Toadette approach the princess, the girl carefully taking her hand. Peach looked down at her, sadly smiling. He looked back at Luigi. “I think we need to do something.” He smirked. “We’re heroes, aren’t we?” 

“Maybe for you, but—” Luigi was interrupted as Mario approached Peach. 

“Your highness?” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s gonna be okay.” 

Luigi placed a hand on Mario’s shoulder. “Yeah, whatever this Bowser guy’s got cooked up, we’ll face it together.” The brothers smiled. 

Peach looked down to Toadette, who squeezed her hand. “I’m with you too. I’m not about to let my best friend go through this alone.” 

Something other than fear welled up inside Peach. With her friend and these two well-meaning strangers by her side, she couldn’t help but let a few tears of relief slide down her face. “Thank you, all of you.” She dried her tears with her hand and together they faced the airship. 

“Wonder what they’re talking about. Maybe they attacked the wrong kingdom…”

“Shut up, Luigi.”

On board the Doomship, Bowser reached out and grabbed Kamek by the neck, pulling him off of the broomstick. “Explain yourself, Master MagiKoopa!! Our intel was correct!”

“I-I swear, my lord,” Kamek wheezed. “I made d-doubly sure—”

The Koopa King threw him against one of the ship’s masts. “Then why did we come all this way for a dead man, Kamek?!” 

“My lord,” Kamek coughed, rising to his feet. “Ohh, my back….” he rubbed his rear, returning to Bowser’s side. “All is not lost.” 

Bowser’s brow arched. “How?” 

“Why, I’m sure you can reason it out with that sterling intellect, my lord.” The MagiKoopa adjusted his glasses as he climbed back aboard his broomstick. “The royal blood still flows in that pretty princess’s veins. All you have to do is—”

“Ah, yes.” Bowser grinned as the realization dawned on him. He grasped his axe in his scaly hands. “I don’t know why you hadn’t mentioned it sooner.” 

“Exactly, my lord! Just take that axe and ki—”

“I’ll make her my bride!” Bowser guffawed. 

Kamek’s face dropped. “What? No, my lord, just take her life instead of Gustav!” 

Bowser rolled his eyes. “Why would I do that?” He looked over his shoulder at the princess, standing defiant on the balcony. “I mean, just look at her! She’s got a body that would make any Koopa drop to their knees!” 

Kamek sneered. “If you’re into that, I suppose...”

“And besides, once we’re married, I’ll have complete control of the Mushroom Kingdom and its Warp Zones!” Bowser grinned. “All that my father failed to get.” 

Kamek stammered, but then finally he shook his head. “By your word, Lord Bowser,” he sighed and looked back to the balcony, staring down at the brothers. “Red and green….where have I seen that before….” he mumbled to himself.

Satisfied, Bowser turned with another flourish of his cape, facing the balcony once more. “Very well, princess. My intel was incorrect, and I apologize.” He bowed. 

Peach wasn’t moved. “Then leave.” 

“I will.” The Koopa King stood, holding his hand out to her. “And you are coming with me, to be married at my castle!” He grinned. 

Peach tensed back up once again, her head spinning. This monster had the audacity to invade her dreams and way laste to her lands, and now he wanted to take her as his wife?? “No….I refuse!” 

“There’s no room for discussion, my lovely Peach pit.” Bowser smirked. “If you value the safety of your kingdom, you will join me by my side.” 

Peach held her head in her hands, turning to look back at Toadette and the Mario brothers. “I have no choice,” she whispered. 

“Yes we do,” Toadette declared. “I’ve already got a plan.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Remember the Super Crown?” 

Realization dawned on her, and Peach bent down to her side. “No,” she shook her head. “I can’t let you do that. You just said that you weren’t going to let me do this alone.” 

“You’re not.” Toadette nodded her head over Peach’s shoulder, the Mario brothers waiting with bated breath. “You’ve got them.” 

“That’s right,” Mario nodded. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but we’re not gonna let you down.” He looked back to Luigi. “Though I wish we could just punch that guy’s lights out.” 

Luigi shrugged and sighed. “Always gotta throw punches, ask questions later, huh?” The younger brother grinned. “We’ve got you, your highness.” 

“Tick tock, princess,” Bowser called out. 

“Okay.” Peach took a deep breath, and let it out slowly and steadily. “I’ve got this.” She stood, turning to face Bowser. “Very well. If it’s for the safety of my kingdom, then I have no choice but to accept.” 

Bowser turned to Kamek quickly, fist pumped in victory, before facing the princess; the MagiKoopa wasn’t amused. “Excellent! Allow my Koopa Paratroopas to see you on board—”

“But first, I would like to request a change of clothes for the trip.” Peach interrupted. “These are incredibly royal garments, and any damage to these would be personally catastrophic.” 

Bowser narrowed his eyes, a frown stretched across his muzzle. “Fine. I’ll allow one quick wardrobe change.” He pointed his axe at the balcony. “You had best make the most of it.” 

Peach let out a sigh of relief. The plan was falling into place, and she was incredibly thankful that this brute was only fearsome in looks. She stepped back into the castle, Toadette and the Mario brothers in tow. 

Kamek scoffed. “Lord Bowser, I have an incredibly bad feeling about this.” 

“What’s ten minutes when an eternity of global domination is within our grasp?” Bowser looked over his shoulder at Kamek; the MagiKoopa still wore a look of skepticism. “Really, what could possibly go wrong?”   
  


* * *

  
The group retreated into the castle, Toadette following from behind. “You guys are gonna want to go back downstairs. Just keep going down the spiral stairway, all the way down to the secret exit.” 

“Spiral stairway, secret exit, got it.” Mario nodded. 

“Are you absolutely sure about this?” Peach asked, looking down at Toadette. “You can just come with us…”

Toadette shook her head and smiled. “I made an oath as your lady-in-waiting to always protect the kingdom and its royalty. Besides, the Super Crown will buy us enough time for you guys to get away.” 

Peach sighed and kneeled, holding her arms out. Toadette wrapped her arms around the princess in a tight embrace. 

“Don’t worry, I just know you guys will stop those Koopas and have everything back to normal in no time.” Toadette pulled away from the princess, placing her hands on her cheeks. “You gotta promise me you’ll do that.” 

Peach closed her eyes and placed a hand on hers, nodding. “Go. We’re on our way.” She stood, watching for a long moment as Toadette hurriedly toddled down the hallway in the opposite direction. 

Mario and Luigi looked at each other, nodded, then looked at her. “We better get going,” Luigi spoke first, turning on his heel and heading down the hall. 

Mario watched Peach, who in turn kept staring down the hall long after Toadette had disappeared from view. He took her hand, and she slightly jolted from its presence. She squeezed his hand. 

“Your highness? Are you ready?” 

“Yes,” she answered shakily. The fear in her voice was burned away by her determined grimace as she faced him. “Yes, I am.” 

“Come on!” Luigi hollered from the other end of the hallway, at the start of the staircase back to the first floor. 

Mario rolled his eyes as he walked on, Peach’s hand in his. “Of course he runs ahead first when there's trouble.” He cupped his free hand around his mouth and shouted down the hall: “ _ Perché sei così codardo _ ?”

Luigi raised his arm, bringing it up and down in a chopping motion, a grin on his face as he replied: “ _ Mordimi!” _

Mario’s nostrils flared, and his face turned red. “Hey! You watch your language around the lady, little bro!” 

Peach giggled as they approached the staircase, descending as Luigi took the lead. 

* * *

  
Toadette hurried up the stairs to her chambers, passing along a hallway with wide windows. She paused to survey the damage and winced. 

It was worse than she had imagined. The Bullet Bills had made smouldering craters out of Toad Town, but even more shocking were the Toad statues scattered about. She couldn’t make out their details, but remembering how Toadsworth was turned to stone, she could only imagine the shock and terror each Toad had etched onto their face. She could only wonder if  _ he _ made it out okay….

Toadette stepped away from the window and shook her head. Now wasn’t the time to be lost in thought! She toddled quickly down the hall and ducked into her room. It was small, decked out with pink decor, and littered with books and documents of all kinds. Chances were that if the royal libraries didn’t have any information on a given subject, Toadette had it in spades. 

But, again, this wasn’t the time to consult manuscripts. She tossed several scrolls and papers to the side as she huffed to herself in her search of her desk. “Come on, where did I leave it??” 

She turned her back to the desk and knocked a fist against her forehead. “Come on, blockhead, remember where you put it!!” 

She scanned the room and spotted a glisten of gold under the corner of her bed.

“Aha!”

She dove under the bed, tiny feet kicking as she reached for the prize underneath. Finally she squirmed her way out, standing with the Super Crown in hand. It was in every way a crown, with a small mushroom set within its center. But more striking than the crown itself were the beady eyes that stared up at Toadette. 

“Okay,” Toadette exhaled. “I just gotta focus…on the one person I need to protect.” She squeezed her eyes shut and lifted the Super Crown up, placing it down on her head. 

And in that instant, the whole room was bathed in a pink light.   
  


* * *

  
Bowser stood, a frown gracing his muzzle. With a hand on his hip, he impatiently tapped the end of his axe against the floor of the deck. 

“How long has it been now?” He looked to the MagiKoopa floating lazily along on his broom.

“13 minutes. I told you, sire,” Kamek spoke up, hardly looking away from one of his magical manuscripts, “I had a bad feeling about all of this.” 

Bowser roared out a groan, then turned, facing the Koopa helmsman near the stern of the Doomship. “Helmsman!! Bring us down and lower the ramp.” He glared at his troops as they fell in line. “Troops, prepare to disembark. Secure the castle grounds and make sure there are none that haven’t been turned to stone.” 

The troops saluted, as the ship’s propellers responded to the turn of the ship’s wheel. It lowered, hovering at the entrance of the castle, the wind produced by the Doomship’s massive propellers whipping the nearby flowers and trees. 

“Drop anchor! Lower the ramp!” Bowser called out. The ship’s helmsman yanked back a lever near the wheel, and a giant anchor let loose from the stern side of the ship, crashing and embedding into the ground below. The bow of the ship opened, lowering into a ramp that led straight out to the castle doors. 

Bowser nodded up at Kamek, the MagiKoopa tucking his book back into the gigantic sleeves of his robes and following his master off the ship. The Koopa Troop behind them marched off and set up a perimeter around the castle, while their Lord shoved open the castle’s doors with ease. 

Kamek floated along, taking note of the tacky, sunny-day wall decor. “The choice in design is….off-putting.” He stopped, staring up at an oil painting of…..some sort of fortress suspended in the sky? He sneered. “And the artwork is atrocious.” 

“Never mind the artwork,” Bowser groused, walking ahead as he used the axe as a walking stick of sorts. “We’re here for the princess, and then we can come back and redecorate as we’d like.” 

The two entered the main hall, glancing around at the variety of entrances and stairways. And they were so lost in the architecture that they didn’t hear the door open at the top of the stairway in front of them. 

“She could be anywhere,” Kamek mused, stroking his chin in thought. “Perhaps we should call for a search party, my lord.” 

Bowser groaned. “Perhaps.” The two turned and began to return to the entrance.

“Not so fast, boys.” 

Bowser turned, looking to the top of the stairs, and he gasped. 

There she was, leaning on the stairway railing! Sure, she might have looked a little different; her shining blue eyes were a dull silver, and Bowser wasn’t sure what was up with her braided pig-tails, but otherwise it was her! He didn’t think that anything could match the royal dress she previously wore, but the simple pink dress with the cute, large ribbon in place of her previous brooch only signaled to him that she was a gift to him! 

Kamek must have noticed how his master was unwrapping his gift with his eyes and produced his wand, hovering close and bonking Bowser over the head. 

“Ow!” Bowser growled and shot a look up at Kamek, before looking back at ‘Peach’, a goofy grin on his face. “You look absolutely lovely, my little Peach Pit!” 

Her giggle was sultry, looking down at the two with half-lidded eyes. “And you know what would make me look even better?” She slid down the stairway railing, sailing through the air as she hit the curved bannister. Bowser panicked, dropping his axe as he caught her. She giggled and traced a finger along his snout. “Me, being held in your arms, like you’re doing right now.” 

Bowser chuckled like a dope.

Kamek, however, was not amused. He leaned in close, staring at the princess from head to toe. 

‘Peach’ noticed and huffed, sliding her arms around Bowser’s neck. “Bowsie-poo, who is this sniveling little man? I don’t appreciate how he’s staring at me!” 

“Now, honey,” Bowser cradled her. “This is just my Master MagiKoopa.” Bowser shot him a look and grit his teeth. “Who apparently doesn’t know when to give some people a moment’s privacy!” 

‘Peach’ squealed. “What an awful man!” 

Kamek stared up at the princess’s crown; funny, wasn’t it a  _ tiara _ before? He spotted a pair of eyes blinking back at him. He rubbed his own eyes and looked again; sure enough, there were eyes on the crown looking back at him! 

“I say, your highness,” Kamek feigned courtesy. “That is a lovely crown.” 

‘Peach’ tensed up in Bowser’s arms, then giggled innocently. “Why, thank you. It belonged to my mother, may she rest in peace.” 

“Oh, that’s terrible! I lost my father in the war. How did your mother pass?” 

“The war.” ‘Peach’ looked unamused.

Bowser gasped. “We have so much in common!” 

Kamek felt the conversation slipping away from him and he cleared his throat. “My lord! Wouldn’t it be wise for her highness to leave behind her valuable trinkets? Besides, she’s to wear the best jewelry the Dark Lands have to offer once she becomes your bride, is she not?” 

“Absolutely she is!” Bowser reached for her crown. “We’ll take good care of your mother’s crown, my little mushroom head.” 

‘Peach’ squirmed in his arms, stretching away from his hand. “N-No, it’s quite alright! This was in fact my mother’s least-favorite crown!” 

Kamek huffed and floated beside her. “This is utter nonsense.” He whacked the crown off of her head with his wand, and suddenly her form became enveloped in pink light, shrinking in Bowser’s arms. The light dissipated, and Toadette stared up at the princess’s would-be captors in horror. 

“Uhm….” she smiled innocently. “Now, about that Koopa jewelry…..”

Bowser sneered, his eyes narrowing. He roared, throwing Toadette to the ground. “I’ve been had!!” He leaned down, staring at her as steam shot out from his nostrils. “How _ dare _ you try to form a valuable and unbreakable bond with me, you little imposter!!!” 

Toadette shrunk away from him, shaking. “H-Hey, come on! Our relationship was making inroads!! B-Beauty is only skin deep, y’know!!” 

Bowser roared again. He picked up his axe and raised it above his head. “Beauty for you will go no farther than the stone you’re about to turn into!!” 

Kamek flew in between Bowser and Toadette, staring down his master’s wrath. “One moment, Lord Bowser!” 

“Kamek, I swear on my father’s grave, if you don’t move it—”

“My lord, you need to think with your head and not with...whatever you’ve been using for thought for the past five minutes.” Kamek held out the Super Crown. “This princess is a crafty one, sending out a decoy so that she can flee. But two can play at that game.” 

Bowser stared at the Super Crown for a long moment, then looked at Kamek. “If you think you’re gonna make me wear this—”

“Oh,” Kamek physically recoiled. “Oh, by the Stars, no!” 

Toadette paled. “What’s wrong with you?!”

“What? Like I’d wear that?!” Bowser gagged. 

Kamek shook his head and placed the Super Crown back onto Toadette’s mushroom cap. Her form stretched back out, replaced by her Peachette form. 

“It’s really quite simple, my lord. That stubborn princess thinks she can fool us with a decoy.” He produced his wand. “But do you think she’d be so bold as to leave us with a captive?” He waved his wand, a red glow emanating from its ruby gem. He pointed it at Peachette, a string of red light stretching around her. 

“What?” Peachette gasped. The red light constricted around her, like a snake. “W-Wait, we can talk this out!!” 

Kamek pulled back on his wand like a fisherman reeling in its catch, and Peachette was hoisted into the air, the line of red light cascading back into his gemstone. She disappeared into it, staring between the facts of the wand’s gem at her captors. 

“We now have our bargaining chip,” Kamek grinned, staring down at Peachette trapped within his wand. 

“Now all we need is the princess,” Bowser spoke. He turned with a flourish of his cape, while Kamek tucked his wand back down into the depths of his cloak and puttered alongside his master on his broom. 

The two climbed back aboard the Doomship, catching the attention of the rest of the Koopa Troop aboard. “Heed me, soldiers! You will not rest until you’ve scoured every inch of this pathetic kingdom for the princess! Those are your orders, and to stone with you if you fail me!!” 

The soldiers saluted and disembarked from the ship, fanning out in all directions from the castle. The anchor of the Doomship was recalled, and slowly it began its ascent back up into the air. 

Bowser held his axe high in the air, the powerful magic streaming from it. “I call upon the magic of my forefathers,” he roared. “May naught but the power of the Stars free the people of the Mushroom Kingdom from a prison of stone!” 

He swung the axe in a circular movement, the shockwave of energy rapidly spreading from the Doomship to the land below. Any Toads not silenced by the Koopa’s Axe before found their bodies quickly turning to stone, and in a moment’s instance, the Mushroom Kingdom turned into a kingdom of silent statues.

None remained moving in Toad Town or Princess Peach’s castle, save for the Koopa Troop, and whatever lurked belowground…. 


	15. The Secret Slide

The Mario Bros. descended into the depths of the castle once more, this time chaperoned by the princess herself instead of being shepherded by royal guards. Luigi led the advance, followed by Mario with Peach close behind. The trio had remained silent as they traversed the maze-like basement floors with ease. 

“You two seem to know your way around,” Peach spoke up, impressed. “Do you memorize things that quickly?” 

Luigi looked back at Mario and shrugged before glancing back at Peach. “I guess it’s just a plumber’s intuition.”

“Never forget your pipe layouts!” Mario declared.

Peach giggled. “So you two are plumbers?” She tapped her chin as they approached the end of the hall. “From the storybook city, right? I imagine there’s riddles of pipes all over.” 

Mario began to step down the spiral staircase right behind Luigi, turning to offer a hand to her as she approached the first stair. “That’s why you gotta keep a mental map of all the pipes you work on. One pipe out of place—”

“And the whole mess of pipes will blow to high heaven.” Luigi interjected. “Right, Mario?” 

Mario sneered, the memory of the incident at the dig site still fresh on his mind. “Don’t remind me.” 

“I’m sure that whatever happened was just an accident.” Peach took his hand then, giving it a gentle squeeze as she began down the stairwell. She smiled at him. “Thank you.” 

Mario blushed as she stepped past him and followed Luigi down into the depths of the castle underground. The trio continued in silence, walking down the spiral staircase solemnly. 

But every few moments, Peach would glance up. She would bite the corner of her lip, fidget with a fold of her dress in between her fingers, or run a hand anxiously through her hair. 

Mario watched her from behind as she inadvertently flipped her hair back and nearly hit him. “What’s wrong, your highness?” 

“Oh!” Her cheeks turned a shade of red and she resigned herself to her embarrassment. “It’s nothing.” 

“You’re worried, aren’t you?” 

She slowly nodded. “This is the first time Toadette and I have been apart. But it’s not just her I’m worried about.” Her head drooped once more.

Luigi and Mario shared a look between each other, the concern written in wrinkled brows. Finally, Luigi reached back and took her hand. “Hey now, everything’s going to be alright.” 

Peach looked up at him. “Really?”

Mario took her other hand and smiled. “Really. We’re gonna wreck that Bowser guy’s ship.” 

“Yeah, and then we’ll climb aboard and give him the old karate moves until he says sayonara!” Luigi held his arm out in a series of karate chops.

Peach smiled, the brothers’ optimism shedding a light of levity on the heaviness of reality. “Thank you, both of you.” They all felt lighter then; Peach felt strong thanks to the brothers, Mario took joy in seeing the princess smile again, and Luigi was glad to see his brother not so bent out of shape, finally.

The staircase ended, leading the trio to a small room. Luigi approached the far end of the room, leering at the large chute. 

“This can’t be right,” he spoke up. 

“Why not, little bro?” Mario asked. He approached and gazed down the opening with Luigi.

“Because this isn’t a secret exit! It’s a—”

“Oh, of course!” Peach put her fist in her hand as she approached the brothers. “This is the old secret slide!” 

“Secret slide?” Mario asked, his curiosity as evident as the amused look on his face. 

“A long time ago, this used to be an underground aqueduct,” Peach began, squatting down to peer down the chute with the brothers, “but as more modern methods of plumbing were discovered, we transformed the old aqueduct into...well….”

“A slide?” Luigi asked in monotone. 

“For lack of a better term, yes!” Peach nodded and laced her fingers together. “Oh, Toadette and I would sneak down here and go for a ride when we were younger. It was chalices of fun!!” 

“Right, chalices of fun,” Luigi quipped. He sighed and took a step back from the opening. “Well, if you two wanna go screaming down this death trap, I’ll go try to find a proper secret exit.” 

Mario huffed and grabbed Luigi by the back of his overalls. “Come on, Luigi, don’t be a sourpuss.” He pushed his brother back towards the chute. “Come on, this is better than a boring old secret exit. It’s a slide, for crying out loud!”

“That’s right!” Peach giggled.

Luigi’s legs were like stone as Mario pushed him to the edge. He glanced down the slope and gulped hard. “O-okay, listen, this may be a bad time to bring it up, but I don’t do well on slides. I get sick and—”

Mario pushed suddenly into his back, and Luigi’s legs buckled. He fell forward, and he began down the slide on his stomach, his screams an echo. 

Mario dusted his gloved hands off and stood at the edge, watching Luigi disappear down a turn in the slide with a mischievous grin. “Alright, your highness, are you ready?” No response. “Princess Peach?” 

Mario looked back, just as Peach glared down at him with a wide grin before pushing him backwards. He gasped and fell back onto his rear, the sudden push-off eliciting a shout: “You dirty trickster!” 

Peach laughed, then sat down on the edge. She gathered bundles of her dress in her hands before scooting off the edge, wailing with excitement as she followed the brothers down the secret slide. 

Mario turned around, facing down the chute as the area opened up into an underground cavern, with giant pipes jutting out of the rock walls, water flowing like waterfalls out of them. 

With the natural and man-made wonders around him, Mario instead turned his focus to his brother, who floundered in his attempt to get upright. “Come on,  _ fratello _ , you look like a baby penguin on ice!!”

“This is your fault!!” Luigi scolded, stretching his arms out in a desperate attempt to slow down.

“And you shriek like one, too!” 

“Yoo hoo!” Peach called out. She was gaining speed down the ramp. “On your left!” She called out and reached an arm out, slipping it around Mario. “Isn’t this fun?!” 

Mario’s face turned a slight shade of red as she held onto him. “Tons of fun! Bet I can beat you both down, though!” 

“Oh really?” Peach nudged him as they leaned into curves and turns in the slide. “Don’t forget, I’ve had experience on this slide!”

“You two might wanna put a kibosh on that!” Luigi pointed ahead, where the slide ended and curved up into a ramp. “What do we do now?!”

Peach reached over and grabbed Luigi’s leg. “We’re going to have to jump.” The look on her face was more determined than how the Mario brothers looked. She grinned. “Trust me on this! I’ve done this before!” 

Luigi squirmed. “How do you expect me to jump when I’m sliding on my belly?!” 

“No time for thinking, Luigi,” Mario spoke up. “Get ready! On three! One...!”

“Two!!” Peach shouted through gritted teeth.

Luigi held his hands in front of his face, too scared to end the count. Mario leapt from Peach’s grasp, while the princess did her best to toss Luigi over the gap before she jumped off the ramp. She gasped as her dress caught the breeze, parachuting out as she floated over the gap.

Luigi hit the other side of the chute on his back, screaming out of fear and adrenaline. Mario wasn’t too far behind, having made the jump and landing back onto his rear. Peach fell gently behind them, as the slide narrowed back into a smaller room. 

Luigi slid to a stop as the ground evened out, but just as he began to stand, Mario bowled into the back of his legs, knocking him over. Peach collided into Mario, wrapping her arms around him to keep from tumbling further. 

“That was so much fun!” She laughed, squeezing Mario before letting go. 

“No wonder you’d sneak down here with Toadette,” Mario said, standing up. He took the princess’ hands and helped her to her feet.

“It was only once,” Peach admitted. “Toadsworth found out and scolded us something awful.” 

“I can’t imagine why he’d be upset!!” Luigi groused. He crawled out from around Mario and Peach’s legs and huffed, dusting himself off.

“Come on, you gotta admit that was pretty heart-pounding,” Mario replied. 

“Yeah, a heart-pounding panic, maybe!” Luigi sighed, crossing his arms. “Though, I guess it was kind of fun sliding down in my stomach like that.” 

Peach giggled and took their hands, leading them towards the far side of the room. “If I remember correctly, this dumps us out near the gardens.” 

Mario nodded, following with Luigi to where the princess guided them.

* * *

The patrol of Koopas had taken the garden, scanning the bouquets and orchards for any sign of their target: a blonde princess in pink. The sky was red with smoke from the Doomship’s attack on the castle and Toad Town, but the visibility wasn’t as bad as the soldiers may have guessed. Besides, who could miss a princess, pretty in pink? 

As much as they searched the castle and the grounds surrounding, the Koopas could find no trace of Princess Peach. A nearby Koopa, clad in a green helmet and matching shoulder- and knee-pads, scanned the grounds with a hammer in hand, as a shorter trooper marched up to him and saluted.

“We’ve scanned the gardens,” the Koopa Troopa dropped his salute. “But just like the castle interior, we cannot find her.” 

The Hammer Bro. sneered. “Lord Bowser isn’t going to be pleased.” 

“Sir, there’s still an underground dungeon to check,” the Troopa responded. “Shall I gather my men to search?” 

“No. There’s nowhere to go down there, I’ll bet.”

“Sir,” another Koopa Troopa approached the Hammer Bro., saluting quickly. “We searched the town, but we’ve got nothing but a bunch of Mushroom people rocks.” 

“Then she must have escaped out of town.” The Hammer Bro. looked between the two troopers. “Gather your men. Be ready to depart and fan out through the plains.” 

The troopers nodded, and all three soldiers marched off, past a collapsing stone wall. Mario, Luigi, and Peach peeked around the wall, hoping they could continue to traverse the gardens without a disturbance.

“Looks like they’re clearing out.” 

“Good, now’s our chance!” Mario looked up at the princess. “Your highness?” 

Peach’s brows knitted in confusion. “What did they mean by that?” She stepped out of their cover, then looked back at Mario and Luigi as they stumbled forward. 

“What did they mean by what?” Mario asked.

“Just now, those Koopas said there wasn’t anything in town except for Mushroom people rocks.” She continued forward. “What does that mean??” 

“I don’t know, but….” Mario followed her. “Your highness, wait!” 

The brothers fell in line behind Peach through the deserted castle grounds, while her feet couldn’t keep up with her mind. What had happened in town? Were her people safe? Were they injured? She approached the gate to town with trepidation. The brothers placed a hand on her shoulders as they peeked through the town gate, cracked open from the attack.

They saw the Koopa troop march past the gate, their task at the castle finished, and seemingly finished in town as they seemed to march towards the town’s exit. They couldn’t tell, but the trio could swear that the soldiers were marching around piles of stone. 

Finally, though, the troop had vacated the town completely, and Peach could see the true horror of their attack. She cupped a hand to her mouth as she gasped, then slipped through the crack in the door as she approached a nearby statue. Mario and Luigi followed her, scanning the area. All around them were the Toads of the town, frozen in time as solid statues, each one wearing varying looks of fear and despair. 

Peach approached a Toad that had cowered with fear on the ground, their hand raised in defense of an attack that there was no defense against. She knelt down and cupped her hand on the statue’s cold cheek. 

Luigi shook his head as he stared at another Toad that tried their best to run away from what attacked them. “This is horrible.” 

Mario watched his brother shake his head, then approached the princess. He knelt by her, placing his hand on her shoulder. “Princess Peach….” 

“Why?” Her hand turned into a fist, dropping it from the Toad. “Why is this happening?” She looked up at him, the tears streaming from her face. 

Mario frowned. He didn’t know what to say. Luigi walked up to them, equally silent. 

“What did we do?” She wiped her tears away as well as she could with the back of her hand, only to continue to cry. “What could we have done?” 

Mario stammered, but finally exhaled, defeated. “I don’t know.” He truly felt lost, a feeling similar to what he felt a couple of days ago, on that rainy night in front of Stanley’s lounge. 

Peach placed her face in her hands and sobbed. The Mushroom Kingdom had been lost. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me to me posting this chapter after such a long, unannounced hiatus: https://youtu.be/3Yd3lQVbkYc
> 
> Sorry for the wait, all.


	16. A Night at the Campfire, Pt. 1

Night fell on the ruins of Toad Town, and the trio ventured as far away from the carnage that they could, to the outer edge of town. All the while, the Mario Bros. explored vacant buildings, gathering supplies for their first night in this new kingdom. The trio had decided to set up camp outside of town. 

“Maybe we can do a bit of stargazing,” Mario said, as he slipped a blanket around the princess’s shoulders. She remained silent but clutched the blanket around her as she stared into the campfire. 

“Once these beans and wieners get cooked, we’ll be eating like royalty,” Luigi replied. He stirred the pot above the fire, then taste-tested for temperature. 

“That’s very kind of you both,” Peach replied softly. She had finally stopped crying, yet her nerves and emotions were shot. “Thank you.” 

Mario sat beside her on the log, studying her as she continued her thousand-yard gaze of lost thought. He placed a hand on her lap, a silent reassurance that was all he could provide. She let go of the blanket and let it fall onto her shoulders as she reached down and took his hand, squeezing it gently. 

“I know this is silly to ask,” she spoke up after a long silence. “But I have a favor.” 

“What is it?” Mario perked up, followed by Luigi who looked up from his cooking pot. 

“I can’t do this alone,” she said, inhaling sharply and exhaling shakily. “I can’t beat the Koopas….beat Bowser….by myself.” She looked at the two. “Will you both help me?” 

Mario looked at Luigi. The younger brother’s brows furrowed, unsure. “I don’t know how much help we can be against an entire army.” 

Mario squeezed her hand. “But we’ll do what we can to try to make things right.” 

She nodded, taking in their words. Just how were they supposed to fight an invading force, one that hit them with such a low blow as destroying the town and turning all the people to stone? None of them could fathom what lengths they would have to go to get the Koopas out of the Mushroom Kingdom, and that was the least of their worries. 

Luigi bent down, poking at the embers with a stick. “I’m going to go find some more firewood.” He looked at Mario. “Do you mind giving me a hand?” 

Mario looked at Peach. She slowly let go of his hand and nodded. “I’m not going anywhere,” she reassured him. 

“Alright.” He stood and walked over, punching Luigi in the arm. “Come on, Weegee. Don’t want you to get your gloves dirty with all that firewood.” 

Luigi rubbed at his arm as he disappeared into the nearby woods. Mario took one glance back at the campsite, Peach staring back down at the fire, before following Luigi. 

The flames licked at the wood, reminding her of her dream from days ago. Instead of the fire eating at her, all she could see now was Bowser’s axe swinging towards her, Toadette, and Toadsworth.

But as much as those memories hurt, as much as the axe scared her, something pulled her out of the way and saved her: the brothers from another kingdom. 

Peach pulled the blanket back around herself and looked up to the stars. Something about those two made her feel safe, as if they were sent by the stars themselves. 

* * *

Luigi hummed, bending down to pick up another piece of firewood. He grunted, reaching for the chunk of wood while holding the small stack precariously in his arm. 

A gentle, pale hand reached down and picked it up, holding it out to him. “Here you go, Luigi.” 

Luigi smiled without looking up at the stranger and took it. “Thanks.” He stood upright, turned on his heel, and walked away whistling. But then he stopped. 

“Wait.” 

He looked back at the figure, the woman smiling down at him softly. And then he screamed. 

“Mario!! Mario!!!” 

Mario stood up with a small bundle of sticks tucked under his arm, as Luigi rushed towards him. “What’s wrong? Koopas??” 

“No….” Luigi doubled over, panting. “I think I saw a….a ghost!” 

“A what??” 

“A ghost, Mario! She was tall, and pale, and….” Luigi glanced back and gasped. He ran behind Mario for cover. “There!! There she is!” 

Mario glanced ahead as the woman approached them. With the platinum blonde hair hanging in front of one of her striking blue eyes, Mario recognized the figure: it was the woman from the construction site! Instead of the ripped jeans and guitar, the woman wore a light blue gown and had a silver crown adorned with jewels on her head. And though he couldn’t be sure, he thought for a moment that she was glowing.

“Hello, Mario brothers,” she spoke softly. 

“You again.” Mario dropped his bundle of sticks and slung his arm around Luigi, pulling him out of his hiding spot. “Quit hiding, Weegee, it’s that crazy lady again.” 

“What’re you doing all the way out here?” Luigi asked. “Weren’t you back in the city?” 

The woman laughed softly. “As I said before, I’m simply a watcher, and I’ve taken a liking to watching you both.” 

“Well, that’s not creepy at all,” Luigi mused dryly.

“I can tell you both have gotten acquainted to the Mushroom Kingdom, its people, and the plight they’re going through,” she continued. 

“Yeah, but what can we do about it? The princess asked us, but we’re not warriors. We can’t stop a whole dang army by ourselves!” Mario kicked a chunk of wood out of frustration. 

“No, you’re not warriors,” the woman shook her head. “You both are heroes.” 

“What makes you so sure?”

“We all have a great potential within ourselves,” the woman began, “to do good things in people’s lives. Others have a great potential to harm and to cause trouble. You’ve seen it happen here, before your very eyes.” 

“But then there are those like you who fill others with purpose, and in turn they spur greatness within you. You don’t realize it yet, because your adventure has just begun, but you’re already proving your worth to the people that matter, and when the time comes they’ll push you to reach your potential.”  


She nodded her head. “And when you finally get there, you’ll find the strength to defeat the Koopas and save the Mushroom Kingdom from its cursed fate.” 

Mario stared at her, as starry-eyed as the star shaped patterns on her dress. “You’ve got a lot of faith in us,” Luigi spoke up, not as swooned by her words as his brother was. 

“Faith will play a crucial part in your journey. Believing not just in yourselves, but in each other, will be what turns the tide. But falter in that belief, and you both will be doomed to fail.” 

“So all we gotta do is just stick together, go fight Bowser, and then everything will work out!” Mario spoke up. He beat a fist against his chest and grinned at Luigi. 

“Yeah yeah, but first we gotta get this firewood back to the campsite and tear into those beans and wieners.” Luigi replied as he bent down and picked up the wood Mario had dropped. 

“But, Mario brothers,” the woman spoke up again. “What do you think will happen once you defeat Bowser? That everything will go back to normal?” 

Mario and Luigi looked at each other, then back to the stranger, nodding. 

“No.” 

“No?” 

“No.” The woman reached down her long sleeve and produced a wand, a star glistening on its end. She waved it, a vision of Toad Town and its stony residents appearing before them. “No matter the outcome, the result will remain the same: Bowser has wrought his vengeance upon the kingdom, and nothing will change that.” 

Mario and Luigi’s shoulders sagged. “But….”

“But….” With a wave of her wand, the image of Toad Town shifted, changing and coalescing into a facsimile of a star with two beady eyes. “The fate of the kingdom can be turned with the help of the Power Star. This powerful relic is descended from the heavens itself, and whoever holds it can shield themselves from powerful attacks, and can even reverse the effects of dark curses when used by someone pure of heart.” 

She waved her wand once more, and this time the image before them changed into the striking form of Princess Peach. Mario’s eyes widened. 

“You travel with the fair Princess Peach, the last of the royal family of the Mushroom Kingdom. Her birthright has given her magic abilities and a pure heart that, when coupled with the Power Star, can save the Mushroom People from Bowser’s curse,” the woman said. “So, it’s imperative that you not only make sure that the princess stays safely away from the dark magic of the Koopas, but that you also find the Power Star hidden somewhere here in the Mushroom Kingdom.” 

Luigi lifted his hat up and scratched his head. “Geez, this is turning out to be one laundry list of an adventure.” 

“Indeed,” the woman smiled. “But as your brother said, so long as you rely on each other, you will triumph as the heroes you were meant to be.” 

“Now, gather your firewood,” she advised, tapping the image of the princess with her wand and causing it to disappear. “And rest well. Tomorrow is the beginning of a new day, and a new adventure for you both.” 

The brothers looked at each other and nodded. They moved about the forest floor, grabbing the wood and paying no mind to the stranger. 

But when they had finished and looked around, the woman was gone.

* * *

The brothers finished gathering their firewood, returning to the campsite to find the princess asleep, laying down across the log in front of the fire, bundled in the blanket. Luigi chuckled. “Look at her, laying there like….”

“Don’t say it,” Mario interrupted. 

“Like a knot on a log.” Luigi wheezed, laughing to himself as he placed the wood back on the fire. As the fire grew, he returned his focus to the pot of food, stirring it before glancing back over to his brother, grinning. “A knot on a log, Mario!!”

Mario rolled his eyes, then knelt down beside the princess. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle shake. “Princess Peach? We’re back.” 

The princess’s eyes fluttered open, and she looked up at him. “Oh.” She looked over at Luigi, then slowly, she sat up, the blanket clinging to her. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to doze off.” 

Mario smiled and sat beside her. “It’s okay. We got a little tied up getting the firewood.” 

“Oh dear,” she yawned. “There weren’t any Koopas around?” 

“No, just….” Mario looked at Luigi and shrugged. “Luigi thought he saw a ghost.” 

“Oh my!” Peach giggled softly, while Luigi glared at Mario. “Well, Luigi seems plenty capable. I’m sure he fought that ghost off single-handedly.” She winked at him.

Luigi rubbed the back of his neck, a blush lighting up his cheeks. “Yeah, well, I’ll try not to make a habit out of it.” He poured the contents of the pot out into a couple of small bowls, then handed them over to Mario and Peach. “And tonight, your maître d' Luigi has cooked up an award winning dish of beans and wieners, found fresh from one of the houses nearby.” 

Mario smiled and began eating. “Not bad, little bro.” 

Peach nodded. “It’s definitely got an earthy flavor. My compliments to the chef!” 

Luigi smiled and grabbed a bowl for himself, sitting on the log. The trio ate quietly, the crackle of the fire filling the silence. 

When Mario finished, he sighed, staring at the fire. “We’re gonna have to start tracking down Bowser’s ship tomorrow.” 

“Yeah…. and avoid the Koopas as much as we can.”

Luigi shivered. “And if we can’t do that, we’ll have to fight them back.”

“I think we can handle that. What do you think, your highness?” Mario looked over, just as Peach’s head leaned onto his shoulder. She had dozed back off, the empty bowl hanging loosely in her hands. 

Luigi smiled and carefully took the bowl from her, and then gathered Mario’s empty bowl. “It’s getting late.” He sat the bowls down on the ground, then grabbed an extra blanket, wrapping himself up. “We’ll form a game plan in the morning,” he yawned.

Mario nodded, carefully adjusting the blanket around Peach and sliding it around his shoulder. He yawned. “Yeah. Tomorrow’s a new adventure. Right, Luigi?” 

Mario took a quick glance over to his brother and spotted him already sound asleep, his mouth hanging open. He chuckled to himself, then leaned his head against Peach. He watched the fire until his eyes grew heavy and he, too, joined his friends in sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me? Posting two chapters in two days??? Haven’t heard this song before.


End file.
